FF7: Redux, Remix, and Revenge
by Emperorsteele
Summary: Zack is alive. Dyne leads AVALANCHE, a large-scale militia. It's FF7 like you've never seen it before! Mostly pg-13, it has an R rating for swearing, violence, and suggestive (and then some) language. Chapters 9 and 10 are up! 10.02.2k4
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Looks like rain..."  
  
Two MPs and a Shinra Command Officer stood watch about a mile outside of the city of Midgar. From here, the city did not look particularly grand. Large masses of junk and debris surrounded the capital city of the Shinra Empire, but not so much as one's view was obscured from the slums which cowered under the gigantic plate above them.  
  
Still, the ritzy upper city and the monolithic Shinra headquarters were more likely to catch ones eyes and divert their attention from the trashy, dilapidated towns beneath. Forget the emerald-colored Mako energy being extracted in the eight reactors surrounding the city, and the city lights which blinked and faded in almost-hypnotic patterns. Forget the skylights and neon signs which could be seen from as far away as the township of Kalm. It's just that people did not want to see the slums. They'd rather ignore its presence and forget how many people suffered there on a daily basis.  
  
Still, the first MP's intuition about the rain was confirmed just by glancing upwards. Large, dark clouds stretched as far as the eye could see... though this sight was not uncommon recently. For some reason, the immediate area around Midgar was always dark. The land had been charred black, and now, over the last several weeks, black clouds had surrounded the city almost non-stop. It was almost as if nature was trying to warn the citizens and their rulers that bad tidings were afoot.  
  
"Don't worry about it," The crimson-clad commander spoke plainly. "We have supplies to last us for days, including rain-gear. Besides, that's what the weather-man's been saying all week, but we haven't seen a drop yet."  
  
"Uhm, sir..?" The second MP started, "Why are we out here again?"  
  
"What, you weren't told?" The commander questioned. He scanned the MP with critical, dark brown eyes.  
  
"N-no sir... I dunno about him..." The MP said, pointing at the first, "But I was just told to meet you here."  
  
"Same here," the first replied before the commander could say anything.  
  
"Hmph. That's not like Colonel Heidegger. Oh well. You deserve to know the truth..." The commander said as he scanned the area. They were near a cliff, hiding behind a large rock. Fog was setting in, and seeing any further than several meters was difficult at best. The commander continued: "According to intel, two renegade SOLDIERS are heading this way. We've been ordered to stop them from entering the city."  
  
"Two SOLDIERS?" The first MP asked, "How do we know they're renegades?"  
  
"Well..." The commander began to reply, "I'm not sure. But they recently escaped interrogation or something... I'm not sure on the details myself." As the commander said this, he pondered the likelihood of a cover-up. What he was not about to tell his two subordinates was that their query had apparently escaped from Nibelhiem, where General Sephiroth had died several years ago.  
  
Sephiroth had taken several troops and another SOLDIER there to investigate a malfunctioning...  
  
...reactor...  
  
_Wait a second..._ The commander started thinking to himself, _There was only one other SOLDIER on that mission...Maybe I'm wrong about this..._  
  
The second MP piped up; "Hmm, SOLDIERS. Great, yeah, let me fetch my Knights of the Round materia out of my sock..."  
  
His sarcasm was not appreciated, but the commander did not reprimand the troop. He himself almost felt the same way.  
  
"Well don't worry," The commander assured his trope, "There are several patrols all going on around here. If we find them, we'll have back-up. And by the same token, if someone else finds them, they can count on us!" The commander added that last part to pep up his men, and it worked.  
  
"Yessir!" The troops replied eagerly in unison.  
  
And so they waited. The sun began to go down, as evidenced by the golden glow peeking out beneath the looming clouds, far in the distance. That's when the Second MP saw something...  
  
"Sir..." he whispered, "Over there..." He pointed out into the fog.  
  
About 100 yards away, a large shadow moved slowly and quietly. It seemed to be dragging something...  
  
"Is that them?" The first MP asked.  
  
The commander did not reply... Instead, he searched his crimson uniform for a pair of infra-red binoculars. He found them, and put them to his eyes...  
  
Sure enough, the Mako-eyes were a dead give-away. It came from both the two men, and as luck would have it, one of them looked as though he was out of commission!  
  
The MPs raised their guns to fire, but the commander put up his hand. "Not yet!" he said in a hushed whisper. He pressed a button on his radio repeatedly, in some strange pattern the two MPs couldn't decipher. It made little noise, so neither MP knew what doing so would accomplish. Still, he was the commander, so he had to of known what he was doing.  
  
After a moment, the commander held a listening device close to his ear, and after a few more moments, put it away. He nodded at his men. "Okay..." he said, drawing his long-sword, "ATTACK!"  
  
The three men rushed at their targets. One of whom had a large maim of spiked-back, ink-black hair. The other one -who was being dragged and looked semi lifeless- had relatively short, blond spiky hair. The first one also had a VERY large blade... at least 3/4ths of his 5'11" height, and nearly a foot wide. This intimidated the troops a little, but they still fired off nonetheless.  
  
The first SOLDIER heard the men coming, and ducked the shots. He placed his comatose companion down on the ground, unsheathed his Buster Sword and charged at the small battalion. The troops fired more shots, but the mysterious SOLDIER deftly blocked the bullets with his gigantic blade. He then put it to its intended offensive use, cutting down the troops with ease once he got into range.  
  
The commander looked blankly at the SOLDIER as he cut through the men like so much warm butter. He was utterly shocked--which made the pain far more bearable as he became the renegade SOLDIER's next target, doomed for death. He didn't want to die, but that choice was instantly taken away from him. In his last moment of consciousness, he was glad it was quick...*  
  
Zack shook the excess blood off of his blade. He jogged back over to his companion Cloud and went to pick him up again...  
  
More shots fired out...  
  
*_DIVE!_*  
  
Zack found his own body out of his control for a moment as he arched over, and his legs quickly extended. He had somehow managed to propel himself out of the way, without even thinking about it. He was unable to comprehend this strange phenomenon as an attack dog ran up, and attempted to make Zack's arm its next meal; but the young SOLDIER swiped at the canine, almost sure he had killed it. He rolled and got back up.  
  
More shots came again: this group was just like the last, and Zack finished them off in much the same manner as his previous opponents.  
  
After it was over, Zack shook his head. Something... some_one_ had just gotten inside of his head.. his body. However, this bizarre intervention seemed to of saved his life. Zack was suddenly chilled to the bone, and he did not know why. It was if the very fabric of nature had been torn asunder, and it was all his fault.  
  
However, the feeling of gloom and dread passed, as suddenly he heard a voice:  
  
"...ugh... ow.."  
  
Zack turned his head. His friend, Cloud, had begun to move of his own accord, and was trying to speak!  
  
"Cloud... CLOUD!" Zack cried out with joy. However, his near-comatose friend did little else besides struggle to move.  
  
Zack picked the young man back up, just as he felt a drop of cold hit his head. "Huh..." was the most eloquent way to communicate his observation. It was beginning to rain. It came down rather lightly at first, but Zack could tell it was going to get worse. Zack looked at Cloud, "Well, this's great," he said sarcastically, yet still with a grin.  
  
Cloud grunted in response.  
  
"Whaddya mean, 'it could be worse'? I mean, yeah, you're right, but still, quit bein' such a pessimist!" Zack replied as he pulled Cloud up. Cloud tried desperately to move of his own accord, but his body failed to accommodate him.  
  
Zack's nagging doubts returned at full force in an instant of tranquility: _What happened there?_ he wondered. He still could not shake the feeling that now there was something very, very wrong, as if he should be dead now. If this were true, would the universe stop at anything to make sure his death came to pass, no matter what? Would that set things right, or had the damage been done and now no amount of compensation could reverse the damage dealt to all of space and time?  
  
Zack paid this uncharacteristic fit of paranoia and theoretical nonsense no heed, and continued dragging Cloud through the now increasingly vigorous rainstorm...  



	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"Man... You REALLY need to go on a diet."  
  
Zack had said this to his near-comatose companion, Cloud Strife. Zack had to haul his friend's immobile body all the way from Kalm, which, while it was not a very far walk, did take a good deal of stamina to make it without resting.  
  
Carrying a friend notwithstanding, of course.  
  
The rolling fog had covered the two young men's journey into Midgar. Soon they had found the gates to Sector 7... which oddly enough were open. It looked as though one of the doors had gotten stuck on something and partially collapsed.  
  
One would have to go through a gate to get into the slums of Midgar, for the entirety of the slums was surrounded by a large, opaque force-field.  
  
Granted, no one would want to go into the slums, but from there it would be easy to find one's way up into the upper city of Midgar. So logically, Shinra decided to erect a force-field to keep people out, instead of, you know, guarding the way up into the city.  
  
Zack smiled as he slipped through the doors, thankful that the Shinra had not placed any security outside of the slum gates. Zack stole a moment to take in his surroundings: The slums seemed mostly comprised of make-shift buildings, and large piles of junk which seemed to double as homes... whether these were homes for people or homes for any sort of unspeakable creatures, Zack could not guess. About fifty meters above him, Zack saw "the plate", or rather, its underbelly. It was composed of pipes, pumps, hydraulics, gears... and a few other things he couldn't make out. Most of the components seemed to have taken on rust and looked woefully under-kept.  
  
There were few actual "buildings" down in the slums, and none of them seemed to extend past three or four stories in height. Still, Zack looked on in awe. While he had been in Midgar before, he spent most of his time there up on the plate in the SOLDIER barracks, and the only time he went beneath was to go into Sector 5 where his girlfriend had lived. And that was after his training had been completed and he was accepted into SOLDIER. His training had taken place in Junon, the same as Cloud's. Of course, Cloud had never made it into SOLDIER. In any scenario, Zack had simply not spent a whole lot of time in Midgar, so the sights which surrounded him now were all new to him.  
  
A noise caught Zack's attention. He spun his head to the left, where a large... creature seemed to be studying him from on top of a large mound of debris. It was purple, and its entire front was composed of a mouth with long, sharp teeth. It seemed to have six spider-like legs, and a short tail which waved behind it.  
  
The creature seemed to have determined that Zack would make a nice meal, and lunged at him. Zack, in one quick, fluid motion (and while still holding Cloud), unsheathed his Buster Sword and swung at the creature. His aim wasn't perfect, but the creature was still dead and in two pieces by the time Zack finished his swing. He took a moment to wipe the blood off of his weapon before re-sheathing it, and continued without missing a beat.  
  
Zack continued on, until he came to a clearing of sorts. In front of him was a relatively nice-looking red building, about two and a half stories high. A block of stores, made mostly of sheet metal and assorted materials, stood to his right. Off to his left was a small house, then a large building made mostly of wood with a flashing a neon sign: "7th Heaven". Just past that was a small trailer home, and some more debris. Zack also noticed several people -mostly men- looking at him, then turning to themselves, then looking back at him. One of the group's members nodded and made a mad dash for the bar.  
  
The young SOLIDER... _or rather, Ex-SOLDIER_, he supposed, stood there, almost sure something was up. He carefully rested Cloud against a wall, then stood up, looking at the group... "Okay..." he said out loud to the group, "What is it?"  
  
A few of them came over. They were dressed mostly in black clothing, though nothing else stood apart. One of them, a slightly shorter man with tan skin, dared to speak. "Well," the man replied, paused, then continued, "it's pretty obvious that you're a SOLDIER. It's a rare sight down here in the slums..." He looked at Cloud, then looked back up at Zack. "And then you got an injured buddy over there," he paused again for effect, "and well, I'll be blunt, there's gotta' be a better way to get him treatment than draggin' him through the slums. And of course, if you gotta' worry about HIM..." The man slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a knife, "That would make you easier pickin's, Shinra dog!"  
  
With that the man swung. Zack stepped back and caught the man's hand, and pushed him back away.  
  
"Look, I don't wanna fight..." But Zack's reasonable request was denied. The small crowd rushed forward. Zack took out his weapon and swung almost madly. However, instead of hitting with the sharp end, Zack twirled the weapon so that the dull end or the flat-part of the blade would smack into his opponents. He managed to dodge and block all the blows that came his way. None of these men seemed to of been trained in combat, and were no match for the SOLDIER, even in numbers.  
  
Thanks to Zack's swordsmanship, none of the men got critically injured, but eventually they got bumped, bruised, and scraped enough to take them out of the fight. A few had gotten knocked unconscious. Zack shook his head...  
  
Just as a few people strode out of the bar. **They** looked like trouble.  
  
A few of them were dressed in variations of combat fatigues, and wore red headbands. One of them was the man who ran inside the bar before. He had bright red hair, a quite ugly face, and wore a torn leather jacket. They all followed a man with... a GUN grafted to his LEFT arm.  
  
This man was tall, white, and had short, matted-down dark-blue hair. He was muscular, but still seemed kind of lean. The only other noticeable feature was the gold pendant around his neck. He wore a dark sleeveless jacket and black cargo pants. The white "wife-beater" seemed one size too small as well.  
  
"There he is, Dyne..." The red-headed man said, pointing at Zack. "Oh, shit," he mumbled in surprise, looking at the fallen group around him, "He took out everyone already?!"  
  
"Relax, they're not dead..." Zack stated cautiously, raising his hands, "I only aimed to subdue them..."  
  
The "leader" of the first group stood up... "So that means... you don't wanna kill us?" He said slowly. But before Zack could respond, he shot right back up at the SOLDIER, "Then that means we have the advantage! ATTA..."  
  
BLAM!  
  
The man fell, as a small bullet had pierced his leg. He hit the ground with a grunt, then looked back at Dyne with sad, confused eyes. "..w-why?" he begged.  
  
"It's better than him chopping your head off," Dyne replied coldly. He turned to the others. "Biggs, Wedge, Jesse, Johnny. Pick these people up, get them some bandages and ice. I'll deal with their insubordination later." The three men and one woman nodded, and did as they were told.  
  
Dyne turned back to the SOLDIER...  
  
"What are you doing here?" Dyne asked plainly.  
  
"The name's Zack. Shinra gave me and Cloud here the shit-treatment, so now I'm here in Midgar to be a mercenary!" Zack replied with a smile and a nod.  
  
"A mercenary?" Dyne quizzed skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds... childish, if you ask me."  
  
"Whaddya mean?"  
  
"The **Shinra** are responsible for your plight, yes?"  
  
Zack nodded.  
  
"And they're also responsible for your... messed up friend over there?"  
  
Zack blinked, and nodded again.  
  
"So... don't you think that a more...worthwhile application of your skills is in order? A focus, a direction?"  
  
Zack tilted his head. "Uh, you lost me at 'think'," he replied shyly.  
  
Dyne sighed. "I'm asking if you wouldn't rather have revenge!" he said while raising his voice.  
  
"Okay, me and a comatose buddy against the Shinra empire... right," Zack shot back.  
  
Dyne simply smiled.  
  
"You... your buddy -when he comes around-..." Dyne started, walking up to Zack and putting his hand on his shoulder, "... and the rest of Sector Seven." Dyne smiled and waved out his gun-arm slowly. Zack then saw them... men, dozens of them. Clad in black, doing push-ups. Another dozen or so came jogging by in a military-like formation. They all seemed to have come out recently... Zack hadn't noticed them before. More men came out from hiding places and started drilling, as well. A truck rolled in from the east, honking its horn, which prompted even more men to come out and unload several boxes that were in its cab. Zack realized he had just waltzed right into some kind of... militia training camp! Zack's eyes went wide, and he looked at Dyne...  
  
"Welcome to AVALANCHE," Dyne declared with a grin.  
  
***  
  
_Green. Green light and fluid, life and knowledge and power and emptiness and loss of self. Is this what surrounds you, or is this what your surround? Is there a you?  
  
"That was unexpected," came a voice from the silence.  
  
"What has happened?" asked a second.  
  
A third voice came: "Saving the SOLDIER has sent a temporal ripple throughout space-time -present-future AND past."  
  
"Reality is conforming and shaping on it's own, temporal difference is 35%. Unexpected consequence bordering on 90..." explained a fourth.  
  
"This is your fault!" the second accused the first.  
  
"The damage is done. We will only observe, that was the agreement." The first replied.  
  
"You know something..." a fifth voice came and said.  
  
"I know nothing you do not know. We are the Lifestream, all knowledge is shared, all is one. To accuse me is to accuse yourself... the lack of "self" notwithstanding."  
  
Then silence. Silent agreement.  
  
Private thoughts shared instantly by all there ever was and all there ever will be... green fluid mixing and moving, lending itself to new life and becoming stronger with each death, light and knowledge mixed with darkness and nothing all in one...  
  
And one terrible secret._  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Zack simply looked on in awe at the sight which had unveiled itself before him. All the men (and occasional woman) dressed in black or camouflage fatigues and combat gear, running all over the place, doing this and that, drilling, training, etcetera. He quickly glanced over at Dyne...  
  
"Wh-what is this?" he asked, then less seriously, "...and what kind of name is 'AVALANCHE'?"  
  
"Well," Dyne replied with a chuckle, "AVALANCHE was the name of me and my friends' 'secret club' growing up, and I always liked the name. Anyway, we're an anti-Shinra political organization... Sector 7 is our base, and we have influence in other slums, and a few chapters in other cities around the world." Dyne paused for a moment, then continued, "The Shinra ruin the lives of people the world over, and yet somehow they've gained complete economic and political dominance over almost every town therein. Not to mention what their 'Mako-reactors' are really doing to the planet," he concluded with a nod.  
  
"... You mean making monsters?" Zack replied slowly.  
  
"That..." the slightly taller man started, "And.. I'm not sure how to put this or how to explain it... Okay. I know. When was the last time you saw a tree around here?"  
  
Zack shrugged.  
  
"A piece of grass? Anything? No... And do you know what the fertility rate in and around Midgar is?"  
  
Again, Zack just shrugged, though he was beginning to lose track of where Dyne was going with this.  
  
"About five percent. It's a blessing for horny teenagers, but for people trying to start a family, it's a disaster. Doctors have to recommend people go to Mideel or Cosmo Canyon in order to conceive a child. The presence of Mako reactors is making it impossible for new life to be created, especially in the immediate area around the reactors. And the irony is, it's these Mako reactors which give Shinra all their power and influence. People pay the Shinra for electricity and protection, not knowing that they're the reason for all the problems in the world."  
  
Zack nodded... "You can say that again..." he muttered.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Can we sit down somewhere?" Zack asked.  
  
"Of course.... here, let me help you with your friend..." Dyne offered. The two men picked Cloud up and held him between their arms. Dyne motioned with his head over to the bar; 7th Heaven. "The name's Dyne, in case you didn't pick that up before."  
  
Zack nodded in comprehension. "I'll have to shake your hand... when it's free. What happened to your arm?"  
  
"It's a long story, and you have to tell me yours, first." Dyne replied smugly.  
  
As they came into the mostly wooden structure, Zack noticed a few of the others that were with Dyne before, treating a few of the more seriously injured men that had attacked Zack. They looked up.. most of them smiled, and a few even waved or gave him the "thumbs up". This puzzled Zack... maybe he had just passed an initiation or some...  
  
..thing...  
  
_Oh my god... look at that BODY!!_  
  
She was behind the bar, and her back was turned. However, Zack still caught sight of her firmly shaped behind, and could even see quite a bit of her bosom when she turned a bit. She wore almost all-black, except she actually seemed to be wearing some kind of ninja-outfit. Yet for some reason, she was mixing drinks. She had short, chocolate brown hair... it looked like it'd gotten cut recently.  
  
Dyne tugged Cloud away and placed him in a chair, making sure he wouldn't fall over. He looked straight at Zack, who was still mesmerized by this apparent epitome of beauty and sexuality.. this god's gift to men...  
  
_The woman slowly turned around, her hair flying in the air as if a breeze swept in. Zack didn't know what her face looked like... he imagined light blue eyes, thick lips, a soft chin and high cheek-bones. She seductively brought her leg over the bar and stretched out, looking at Zack with wanting eyes..._  
  
Dyne looked at Zack with narrowed eyes. He snapped his fingers in front of the younger man's face...  
  
_She proceeded to bring her other leg over, and slid off the bar. She started messaging her legs, crotch and stomach. As she did so, she brought up her shirt (despite the fact that her outfit was obviously a one-piece), practically revealing her cleavage. She walked over to Zack with a wink..._  
  
Dyne continued snapping his fingers in front of Zack's face. Zack's only response was opening his mouth and maintaining a goofy smile.  
  
_The two, not even knowing each other, wrapped themselves together in a tortia of passion and started to kiss. Things went rapidly. They smothered against one another, and without cue or invitation, they both opened their mouths..._  
  
Dyne smacked his forehead, and sighed heavily in disapproval. Zack was now licking thin air, a lost look in his eyes. He was also starting to thrust his hips...  
  
_Zack reached up and felt the stranger's bosom. She only let this last a second, and rolled her eyes playfully, as if to say "wait 'till we're alone, hotshot"._  
  
Zack was now very... VERY visibly aroused, as indicated by the bulge in his pants. He wasn't sure if the woman in front of him was either very oblivious to -or all too aware of- what was happening not 12 feet behind her. He didn't care too much, and continued fantasizing for a moment...  
  
Dyne tried snapping a few more times, but still, nothing. He rolled his eyes, glared at the SOLDIER and pointed his gun at Zack's head and loaded a round, making a very audible CLA-CHIK. Nothing happened. He pointed his Gun-arm down at Zack's crotch. Zack suddenly blinked, and snapped to attention.  
  
"Thought that'd get your attention..." Dyne mumbled to himself, "Snap out of it, Zack. Tifa isn't fond of people leering at her," Then more quietly "...and fix your pants."  
  
Zack looked down and quickly adjusted himself, not even trying to be discreet, while at the same time speaking, "Did you say Ti..."  
  
Tifa's head spun...  
  
"Did you say Za.."  
  
"..fa"  
  
"..ck"  
  
Zack and Tifa looked right at one another, neither of them blinking. They both thought they were seeing a ghost!  
  
"...Z-Zack" she said softly. She looked at the chisel-featured, handsome man in slight shock for another moment, thinking her brown eyes deceived her. She shook her head, jumped over the bar and jogged up to him...  
  
"YOU'RE ALIVE!" The both yelled in jubilance at once. They gave each other a fond hug, but Tifa promptly separated herself after a moment. She still wore a smile...  
  
So when Tifa's palm slammed into Zack's face, he was very, very surprised. Not to mention she was lightning-fast to begin with. A few more punches came, making the former SOLDIER's head spin in a different direction with each blow. Dazed, but still cognizant, Zack finally had the sense to put his hands up... Which didn't help him when Tifa dropped and did a spinning trip-kick. She had sprung back up before Zack even hit the ground. She put her foot to his throat...  
  
"YOU BASTARD!" She spat, "You left me to die! What happened to Sephiroth?! TALK OR I'LL..."  
  
"Tee... fah..." came a distant, hoarse voice. Tifa spun her head...  
The blonde spiky hair... the innocent blue eyes and pointed jaw... She hadn't noticed him sitting there before, and her eyes went wide with nostalgia...  
  
"C-Cloud?!" She whispered. She looked back and forth between Cloud and Zack. Dyne was leaning against a wall, taking in what was going on with a bit of interest and amusement. Today was just full of surprises.  
  
"Tifa..." Zack wheezed, holding his hands out in front of himself, "Just... just lemme explain. I was about to tell Dyne all this, anyway..."  
  
Tifa glared at Zack for a moment. She looked back at Cloud... he looked sick, and barely coherent. She remembered him from a long time ago... he had left their town of Nibelhiem to join SOLDIER when they were both about 14, and promised he'd one day become her "knight in shining armor". It was obvious he had gotten into SOLDIER... he was wearing the uniform. But what had happened to him?  
  
Tifa took the pressure off of Zack's neck, and extended her hand to help him up. He accepted, and pulled himself up with a grunt. Tifa's other hand suddenly went for Zack... or so Zack thought. He cocked his head aside to avoid the "blow"...  
  
But instead, Tifa went for Zack's sword, unsheathed it, and tossed it behind her. Zack whined in protest for a moment, but decided against it. The gigantic Buster Sword swung a few times in mid-air, and imbedded itself on the bar at a perfect 90 degree angle. "I don't trust you," She said plainly before Zack could question her.  
  
Zack shrugged nonchalantly. "Can we sit?" he asked.  
  
Tifa, Zack, and Dyne sat at a semi-circle shaped table Cloud was already sitting by. Zack figured maybe it was a circular table that had been cut in half. It had three legs, and stood against the wall, most likely for balance.  
  
Zack took a deep breath. He had to think about what he was going to say. He remembered that Cloud was on the mission he was about to describe... but Tifa didn't know that. He had kept his mask on the whole time, embarrassed that he hadn't made it into SOLDIER.  
  
Did all that really matter now? He looked at Cloud for a second, and something clicked. Zack made a mental nod to his friend, and started.  
  
"It all started five years ago... I was 17," Zack began with a nod... "It was just after the war ended, and so it was SOLDIER's duty to clean up Shinra's messes... whether it be rebels, natural disasters, or in this case, a malfunctioning reactor and monsters."  
  
"A malfunctioning reactor..." Dyne noted, yet still seemed to be asking. "Let me guess... Nibelheim?"  
  
"Yeah, how'djya know?" Zack asked.  
  
"Tifa's told me this one," Dyne replied, motioning to Tifa. "Still, continue. I want to hear your side of this."  
  
"I want to know what this has to do with Cloud..." Tifa pointed out.  
  
Zack raised an eyebrow. "I though you wanted t' know what happened to Sephiroth? And anyway, this ties into what happened to Cloud."  
  
Tifa blinked. She could have sworn she heard a hint of resentment in his voice. Probably because she'd just mopped the floor with him. _He WOULD make a good mop, what with all that hair_, she thought to herself. This brought a slight smile to her face.  
  
Zack continued. "So anyway, We heard reports of the reactor there malfunctioning, and producing monsters... I was assigned on a team along with Sephiroth and... uh, some other troops to investigate..."  



	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

_A truck rolled across the soaked landscape, dispersing mud all across the make-shift "road". The truck was a dark brown, and not entirely big. The Shinra logo was displayed on both doors, but happened to be partially obscured by mud and rust. This was typical ground transportation for Shinra troops, even SOLDIERS. This, it would seem to any logical person, would be quite odd. After all, Shinra spends thousands of gil recruiting and training their elite SOLDIERS... but then forces them to ride in small, rusted out trucks on dirt roads as oppose to a more luxurious or convenient mode of transportation, like an Airship... or at least something with actual SEATS...  
  
Plus it was raining. Not too hard, but hard enough to soften the road and obscure the driver's view of the way in front of him. In the back, his "cargo" awaited. Two troops, a SOLDIER, and the mighty general himself, Sephiroth. The two troops and Sephiroth were sitting on crates dispersed throughout the cab, but Zack opted to stand. He turned to the troop facing the back, who was hunched over.  
  
"So, how ya doin'?"  
  
"hrm?"  
  
Zack looked down at... the troop. He was holding his mask out in front of himself as though he were about to vomit inside of it. The troop looked up weakly at the young SOLDIER...  
  
"I'm okay..." he replied unconvincingly. Zack gave the young troop a smug grin.  
  
"I wouldn't know, I've never had motion sickness," Zack replied. The troop was going to comment on Zack's rubbing it in, but a wave of nausea overtook him, and he had to concentrate on keeping his lunch down. Did he even eat lunch? He couldn't remember.  
  
Zack had turned his attention to another troop near the front of the cab, but that one hadn't felt like talking.  
  
"Hey..." Sephiroth said. "Settle down." He brushed his long silver hair back with a gloved hand, getting it out of his glowing green eyes. These features, coupled with his relatively pale skin, bore a stark contrast to his all-black-and-silver uniform. He wore a trench coat, but no shirt underneath. Large, double-plated metal pads protected his shoulders, but that was about it.  
  
"They gave me some new materia!" Zack replied ecstatically. He started doing squats... "I can't wait to use it!"  
  
Sephiroth shook his head humorlessly, but fought a smile that tried to come to his face. "Just like a kid."  
  
Zack stopped in mid-squat, and got right back up. He scratched his head... "So you gonna brief us about this mission?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded. "This isn't a typical mission..."  
  
"Good!" Zack interjected, sweeping his hand.  
  
"Why do you say that?" The general inquired.  
  
"I joined SOLDIER to prove myself! But by the time I made it to First Class, the war was over! My chances of becoming a hero died with the war."  
  
"You should not endeavor to seek our profession for such selfish reasons, Zackery. There is nothing glorious about war. There is only death and victims. Everything else is moot."  
  
"B-but... You're a hero. You won the war! How can you say that?" Zack asked in reply.  
  
Sephiroth shook his head. He didn't feel comfortable discussing this. "I thought you wanted a mission briefing?"  
  
Zack blinked. He wanted to press the issue, but decided against it. He simply nodded.  
  
"We've received reports of a reactor malfunctioning, and producing brutal creatures. We've been ordered to destroy these monsters, and correct the malfunction," Sephiroth replied plainly.  
  
"Malfunctioning reactor?" Zack asked, confused. He didn't think reactors were supposed to do that. "Where?"  
  
"A town called Nibelhiem."  
  
"Nibelhiem..." Zack mused.  
  
"That's where..."_  
  
***  
  
Zack paused for a moment. He remembered that in order to cover for Cloud, he had to convince Tifa that Cloud had not been to Nibelhiem five years ago, so he definitely couldn't be telling her when Cloud had spoken up...  
  
"Where what?" Tifa asked. Zack blinked. The young woman glared at Zack with critical eyes, as if trying to read his mind. Zack maintained a clueless look on his face, and scratched his head.  
  
"uh.... I... Er, no wait... the troop didn't say that... lemme think..." Zack replied as he stumbled for an answer. "Oh yeah..."  
  
***  
  
_"That's where my friend Cloud is from! Too bad he couldn't make it..." Zack replied.  
  
-CrAsH!-  
  
The four men stumbled as the truck came to a sudden stop. The back had been lift up and brought back down due to the swift halt. Sephiroth calmly stood up as the driver turned around...  
  
"Sir..." He began, but then remembered that the other SOLDIER was his superior, as well, "..s. We've crashed into something!" he reported unnecessarily.  
  
Sephiroth unsheathed his gigantic, six-foot blade, the Masamune. "That would be our monster."  
  
The two SOLDIERs piled out of the truck, as the two troops stayed inside and readied their guns, preparing to back up the two men... but both of them knew that they weren't needed.  
  
A large, green dragon circled the truck, not knowing what to make of it. Was this some other creature, invading it's turf? No... it was a machine of the humans. The dragon saw two humans come out the back, eyeing it cautiously. The large creature jumped over the truck to meet them, hoping they'd make a sufficient snack.  
  
Zack charged the creature and slashed at it with all his might. However, his might -as impressive as it was- was no match for the dragon's tough, scale-protected skin. The younger SOLDIER's weapon imbedded itself a few inches into the dragon's rear leg, but became stuck in the process.  
  
The dragon let out a roar of pain, and began to summon fire into it's mouth. The human was going to pay for hurting its leg. However, it would not get the chance. Sephiroth charged the monster, and slashed down the middle. Zack didn't think even Sephiroth's legendary blade would cut all the way through the beast... but he was wrong. Blood gushed out of an invisible wound that encompassed the dragon's mid-section, like a sprinker. Then the front half of the dragon fell forward, with an almost perfect edge presenting its innards. The back half fell harmlessly to the side as Zack pulled his weapon free from the dragon's limp body.  
  
Zack looked the monster over while wiping its blood off of himself. He turned to Sephiroth. "Wow, you must be a hit at parties!" he commented. This time, Sephiroth allowed himself to smile, but that was his only response to Zack's humorous query. He walked back to the truck, with Zack tagging close behind._  
  
***  
  
"And then we reached Nibelhiem." Zack pointed out.  
  
Tifa nodded in agreement. She remembered having sat by the gates, wondering if anyone she knew would be in the group... but all she saw were two masked, inconspicuous Military Policemen, then the two SOLDIERS... Sephiroth, and some guy she didn't recognize. And although she didn't want to admit it, she thought the younger SOLDIER was rather cute... The same one who sat next to her just now. She thought it was funny how life just kept going on in circles like that.  
  
"Aaanyway..." Zack continued, making sure he still had Tifa and Dyne's attention... and noticing a few of the others were listening intently to his tale as well... "By the time we got there, the weather had cleared up. Sephiroth had the driver let us out about a half a mile from the town, and we walked the rest of the way..."  
  
***  
  
_"Hmm... Too bad Cloud couldn't make it..." Zack blurted out, "I'm sure he misses his home-town."  
  
Sephiroth stood at the town gates, taking in the scenery. He turned to face his men. "I wouldn't know what that's like..." the general replied, "I don't have a home town."  
  
"Oh?" Zack commented, "What about your parents?"  
  
"My mother was Jenova... she died when I was born. My father..." Sephiroth paused, and started to laugh to himself. He shook his head. "...what does it matter. Let's go..."  
  
Sephiroth had said something about the Mako smelling bad to himself. Zack heard him, but didn't notice any odor. Sephiroth headed over to the Inn, the other three following. He turned once again to address his trope... "We only need one lookout, so you others get some rest. Oh, and..."_  
  
***  
  
"Aaaaand, what?" Dyne asked, after Zack had paused for a few moments.  
  
Zack shrugged his shoulders. "I.. forget what he said. Must not be important..." He lamely replied, giving a slight shrug.  
  
"Did you say 'Jenova' before?" one of the others asked. Zack turned around to look at who had said that. He looked about 18 and wore a black muscle shirt and a red bandana. Zack remembers Dyne as having called him... Biggs or something like that.  
  
"Yeah..." Zack replied with a nod. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"hmm... Nothing, it's just that that sounds familiar. Y'see, I'm AVALANCHE's espionage expert!" He proclaimed proudly, "..And I could have sworn I've seen that name in some files once..." He said, trailing off.  
  
"Well, keep listening, I'll get into that," Zack confirmed with a nod. He turned back to Dyne and Tifa...  
  
***  
  
_Nibelhiem was a small town. A VERY small town. Only about 20 or so houses surrounded a well, along with the Inn and general store. The "road" was just several stones and bricks with moss overtaking a few parts. And that was pretty much the ONLY road in the town. Most of the houses were fitted with Mako-powered climate control devices on the roofs, a rather advanced feature for such old-looking houses. And besides about two small office buildings and a few scattered farms in the outskirts, that was it... with the obvious exception of a mansion near the base of Mount Nibius, the "younger brother" of Mount Nibel, which the town was named after.  
  
Zack wandered around town for a few minutes, even though one of the troops had been assigned as the look-out. He greeted a few of the townsfolk here and there, but ultimately couldn't find any way... or any ONE to help pass the time. He had, however, found a brown, friendly dog wandering near the well, which stood at the center of the town square. He played fetch with it for a while, but both participants soon became bored. Zack reluctantly wandered back to the inn.  
  
Once inside, he came upon quite a sight. Sephiroth was glaring at some strange older man, and the older man seemed to be sizing up Sephiroth as well. The elderly Inn Keeper was standing behind his oak desk and sweating bullets, afraid of what might happen. After several tense moments, both men seemed to come to a silent agreement or something, because at the same time both of their expressions softened, and Sephiroth strode up the carpeted stairs. The Inn-keeper let out a sigh of relief, plopped down in his chair and put his hand to his chest, as if somehow this would help him control his breathing and heart rate. Zack looked quizzingly at the older man Sephiroth had been looking at.  
  
He had thick muscles lining his old frame which were barley visible under the leather armor he wore. A skull cap and a red cape were also included on the man's ensemble. Zack approached the man...  
  
"What was that all about?" he asked innocently, thumbing over at where Sephiroth had been. The older man looked Zack up and down for a moment before replying...  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all," the man replied, stroking his thick, graying beard. "So... you're from SOLDIER, eh? Here to clean up your messes, are you?" he said with just a touch of disdain present in his voice.  
  
"Whatever we have to do to stop innocent people from getting hurt, sir," Zack replied curtly. "Just who are you, anyway?"  
  
"My name is Zangan, I teach children martial arts. I have over 200 students all across the world, including one in this town," the older man replied.  
  
"How do you manage that many dispersed students?" Zack questioned with interest.  
  
Zangan let out a small chuckle. "It's no easy feat, I assure you. However, many of my students live in Midgar, Kalm and Junon. I only travel this far out because my student here has the most promise. I come by every six weeks to check up on her and teach her some new moves..."  
  
"Ah," the young SOLDIER said to show his comprehension. The old guy was starting to bore him, though. "Well, hey, I'll see ya around..." Zack said with a wave of his hand. He turned and started up the stairs, noticing the fine grain of the wooden rail, and how comfortable the carpet felt, even though he was wearing clunky combat boots. He made a mental note to walk on the carpet in his bare feet sometime.  
  
When Zack reached the top of the steps, he looked down the hallway to see Sephiroth looking out the window, who wore a contemplative look on his face. Zack strode over next to him, and leaned back against the wall, holding his hands behind his head. He just looked at the general for a minute or so, not knowing whether or not Sephiroth was aware of his presence. Zack decided to change that.  
  
"Viva la revolution..." he muttered sarcastically.  
  
Sephiroth blinked and turned his head to his young charge. "What do you mean?" he said in a half-annoyed tone. Then again, half the things Sephiroth said seemed to be in a tone of partial annoyance.  
  
"That weird guy downstairs you were having a staring contest with..." Zack began to respond, "He's training kids all over the world how to fight, and he doesn't seem to love the us Shinra guys too much," he finished nonchalantly. "Like I said... 'viva la revolution'..."  
  
"It would take more than a few children to bring down the Shinra empire. And if that happens, I will laugh when it does." Sephiroth replied, realizing what Zack was getting at. He noticed Zack looking at him wide-eyed. "What is it now, Zackery?"  
  
"Uhm, did you just make a joke, sir?" Zack wondered aloud. Sephiroth's response was a simple shrug.  
  
"No. These are the kinds of things we are meant to deal with. And if somehow power is grasped from Shinra's hands by a group of children... well, even I would find that to be a very comical situation," he finally added. Sephiroth turned back towards the window.  
  
The sun was just starting to set, and cast long beams of light through the glass surface. Just outside the window stood an old mansion, made mostly of old gray brick and stone. It looked underused and as though it had not been inhabited in years, but it showed no signs of decay, dilapidation, or wear. It just looked... old. At least, that's what Zack had though when he peeked out the window.  
  
Zack looked around the hallway in boredom. The doors to the rooms were to the left, and he noticed there were only two of them. The one closest to him was open, but he didn't look inside, assuming that's where he'd be spending the night. He'd have plenty of time to explore it later. The floor was made of a rich, dark wood with a smooth, professional finish. Plants lined the otherwise white hallway. There were paintings on both ends of the hallway, as well as one in between the two doors.  
  
The young SOLDIER took in his surroundings for a few minutes more. He then noticed that Sephiroth had not moved the whole time. He found this troubling, so he approached the long-haired warrior once more.  
  
"Whatchya lookin' at?" Zack asked. He was very puzzled as to what could keep the general's attention for such a long time. At about this time, a troop started coming up the stairs.  
  
Sephiroth put his hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes. Without turning to face Zack, he simply responded as though talking to the window, "This place... it feels... familiar somehow."  
  
Zack looked at Sephiroth intently for a moment, shrugging, waiting for more. But Sephiroth did not continue. After a few moments, Sephiroth dropped whatever thoughts had been passing through his mind and turned his attention to Zack and the MP.  
  
"Hmm, we're short one bed..." the MP announced upon walking into the room, noticing there were only three beds for the four-man party.  
  
Zack went up to the MP and pat him on the shoulder, "We can share one, hotshot!" he said with a fake, exaggerated wink. He put his arm around the MP playfully and pulled the poor troop over to him. "What's the matter, intimidated by my mackin-daddy loooooove?" he yelled kiddingly.  
  
"Dude, get offa me!" The MP replied while pushing Zack away. Zack let out a laugh, while Sephiroth simply shook his head.  
  
"We have an early start tomorrow," he announced, "So get some rest. When Kawolski gets back, I'll take the next watch, then Zack, then you..." he continued, pointing to the MP. "The bed issue is moot, since one of us will be awake at all times."  
  
"Aww, c'mon, it's still early!" Zack protested. Sephiroth looked at him passively.  
  
"I won't wake you," he warned. Zack took that to mean "You better get your sorry ass to sleep so you can wake the hell up on time!"  
  
So Zack and the troop did what they were told. As it was, Zack seemed to need the rest, because after laying in his bed for only a few moments, he slowly drifted off to sleep.  
  
Some time later, Zack happen to open his eyes...  
  
There was a large blade at his throat, ready to end his life!  
  
"SHIT!" He yelled in surprise, kicking out wildly. He hit something, and the blade vanished from view. He rolled off the bed and onto his feet, ready to fight... Unfortunatly for him, though, the room was dark and all he could see were two glowing green...  
  
...eyes?  
  
Zack let out an annoyed grunt. "Jeez, Sephiroth, what'd ya do that for?!"  
  
"It's your turn for watch," Sephiroth replied.  
  
"Well, no, I mean why were you holding your sword out like that in front of my face like you were gonna kill me or..." Zack blurt out, forgetting he was addressing his superior officer.  
  
"At ease, Zackery. We SOLDIERS must be prepared for everything at all times. As it was, I had about a good... eighteen and a half minutes to slice your neck open, a maneuver that would have taken more like an eighteenth of a second."  
  
"Huh.. I guess I kinda see your, uh.. point." Zack said, looking at Sephiroth's sword, though trying desperately to avoid the pun. He stretched out and grabbed his own sword and went to leave...  
  
"Ahem," Sephiroth interrupted. "Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
Zack turned to Sephiroth with a puzzled look on his face. "What, you want me to kiss you goodnight?"  
  
"No." Sephiroth replied, actually annoyed, "It is SOLDIER procedure to request a report of activities during the last watch, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah... so, uh... and for the record, I feel funny saying this... Report, Sephiroth," Zack commanded, though the grin on his face belayed any sense of authority he had.  
  
"Nothing to report," Sephiroth answered disinterestingly, as he polished his already clean blade.  
  
Zack rolled his eyes, wanting to ask why he had to demand a report when Sephiroth knew there was nothing to report... As it was, Zack still thought it was cool being able to give Sephiroth an order for once. He shook his head and left the room.  
  
Zack strode out of the inn, gazing at the night sky. It was wonderful, amazing. Big, bright stars filled the sky, uninterrupted by city lights or smog. Just the deep blue sky, the mountains.. It made him think of home.. though his hometown was surrounded by forest and it was sometimes difficult to see past the trees.  
  
And then another sight caught his attention. Someone coming down the path from the mountains... Zack put his hand to his sword and walked towards the person. All he could see was a shadow... though it appeared as though whoever was there was female.  
  
"Hey.." Zack called out, though not too loudly. He was a good few yards from the person now. She had stopped, and stood her ground.  
  
"Identify yourself..." the young SOLDIER commanded. The... girl remained silent.  
  
As Zack got closer, he could tell based on the girl's height and posture that she couldn't be too old... though she did seem to have an inordinately large busom for someone her size, so maybe she wasn't that young. But he still couldn't make out any details. Even though he didn't deem this person as a threat, Zack wanted to know what someone was doing out this late, especially coming from the mountains where monsters have been rumored to have been spotted.  
  
"Step into the light, please?" Zack requested to the silent entity. She remained stubbornly still.  
  
"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you," Zack tried, placing his hands in front of himself. "I just want to know what someone, especially a kid, is doing out this late..."  
  
"Auh..." The girl grunted, "I'll have you know I am NOT a 'kid'. I'm fifteen!" she proclaimed, stepping up to Zack. She suddenly stopped, aware that she had just blown her chance to get back home quickly and quietly. Her father was going to kill her if he found out she was wandering outside late at night. There's no reason a SOLDIER wouldn't report this to him...  
  
Zack looked her up and down. She was wearing a gray muscle shirt which at one size too small showed her belly button and a decent amount of her cleavage, especially from Zack's vantage point from being much taller than she. He couldn't tell if she was wearing a bra underneath or not. The girl also sported red wrist bands and dark blue sweatpants. Her long dark hair was tied back into a ponytail. She also had a slightly worn set of Kine! sneakers. Zack blatantly looked at her chest for about a second, then shook his head quickly and looked her in her large brown eyes (As hard as it was to do so), also noticing her thin, lovely lips and perfect little nose.  
  
"Fifteen? Shiiiiiiit, I woulda guessed at least seventeen." Zack commented with a smile.  
  
The girl cocked her head a bit and looked at him strangely. "Aaaand, why would that be?"  
  
"Well damn girl, have you seen your chest lately?" the SOLDIER answered candidly. He mentally smacked himself for being so not-smooth.  
  
The girl opened her mouth in shock, and looked at the SOLDIER wide-eyed. She wasn't used to people talking like that. Then again, anyone who would say such a thing had moved out of town a long time ago. She recomposed herself and put a hand to her hip, and looked at the SOLDIER with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"When my Dad finds out you're talking to me this way, he is gonna SO kick your ass. Not to MENTION the trouble you'll get in..." she spoke, her attitude beginning to show.  
  
Zack was unfazed. "Yea-up, I'm sure your dad would be thrilled that you're out here late at night running around."  
  
"...damn," the girl muttered to herself. Her mind raced for a solution...  
  
"Hey..." Zack said softly, extending his hand. "Let's just pretend the past few minutes didn't happen. My name's Zack, nice to meet yoouu..." He said, waiting for her to fill her name in.  
  
The girl sighed. "Tifa," she stated, taking his hand and shaking it, though somewhat reluctantly.  
  
"What ARE you doing out here all by yourself? There's tons of monsters around here," Zack inquired, sweeping his arm slowly.  
  
"Well for one..." She replied, not thinking she had a choice, "I can take care of myself. My father doesn't like me dressing like this, even though there's no other guys around, and do you have any idea how hot it gets around here? So I have to sneak out to exercise if I want to wear something comfortable while doing so. Besides, even monsters have to sleep sometime," she blurted out.  
  
She thought that would answer all of Zack's questions. Maybe he'd just accept that and let her go...  
  
"So... uh, there's no other guys around here?" he prodded with interest. "Sounds... lonely. Boring at the least." He put his hand through his large, dark stock of hair, and put that same hand to his hips, standing in a rather cocky pose.  
  
Tifa suspected what the young SOLDIER was getting at. She took a good look at him before making a snap-judgment. Eyes: glowing, but they looked both passionate and mischievous, which Tifa kind of liked. Hair: Out of whack, but kinda cool. Jaw, chin, nose: All good shapes. Nice lips and complexion. Not the most handsome guy on the planet, she was sure, but probably the cutest guy she'd ever met personally. There wasn't any real reason to shoot him down other than the fact that he'd be in town only a few days at the most, she suspected. No reason to get too attached. Plus that comment about her body took off a few points...  
  
She smiled to Zack's question. "Eaasy there, Soldier-boy. The country girl isn't used to too much attention."  
  
They both chuckled for a moment... Zack noticed she was easing up a bit.  
  
"Tifa?" came an unknown voice.  
  
It had come from inside a nearby house.. It didn't seem directed at the two, but suddenly a light came on, near the side of the abode. Zack, almost instinctively, pushed Tifa back into the shadows. He didn't linger on the fact that he had to push her by the boobs to do so. Tifa resisted the urge to yell, and stayed quiet as she fell on her behind. Zack looked up at the window. A man with short brown hair, and wearing red-and-white stripped pajamas peeked out.  
  
"Excuse me..." The man said to Zack, "Yes, you, the SOLDIER. I heard some voices out here... is my daughter out there?"  
  
"aauhhh, No sir!" Zack replied with a smile. "What, with all the monsters running around, that wouldn't be very smart!"  
  
"I'd rather she be with the monsters than some SOLDIER-boy with designs for my baby girl..." The man retorted distastefully. He started pulling his head back inside and called out, "Tifa, honey? Are you in your room?"  
  
Zack had to think quickly... "Well, hate to tell you this sir... but I'm WELL past the, uh, 'design' stage..." and with that, he faked a hearty laugh. The man shot his head right back out the window.  
  
"The HELL did you say to me, boy?"  
  
"I SAID I was pumpin' your girl like this well pumps water!" He shouted out, thumbing over to the well in the middle of the square. He remembered thinking he was gonna get killed for this.  
  
The man's eyes went wide, and he glared at Zack with fiery hatred and thoughts of torture and death. The man ran out of his room and grabbed a baseball bat and a kitchen knife and stormed out the front door.  
  
"SOLDIER or not, I am going to KILL you..." he said slowly as he strode up to Zack. He swung his weapons clumsily, but Zack still backed away, feigning terror.  
  
"Please, don't hurt me!" Zack pleaded. The man swung again and again, Zack letting him just narrowly miss each time. He lead Tifa's father to the well, where the man pined him with his bat by the neck and raised his knife. Zack saw that Tifa was silently crawling up into her room...  
  
"Wait, mister, please! I-I'm sorry! It.. it's just that she was so irresistible a-and..."  
  
"Boy, you are SO pushing the WRONG buttons!" Tifa's father growled angrily.  
  
"D..dad? Wha's all this racket?" Tifa said from her room, pretending to of just woken up. Her father looked back and forth between Tifa and Zack. Zack looked up...  
  
"That your daughter? No offense, sir, but she's not my type..." Zack pointed out dismissively, waving his hand.  
  
"Then what in the hell were you talking about before?" Tifa's father questioned, still skeptical.  
  
A dog came walking up from behind the well, and looked at the two men.  
  
"Awww heeey, there's my bitch!" Zack sang, pushing the bat from his neck and kneeling down next to the dog, petting it roughly all over. He looked back up at Tifa's father... "heh, 'bitch' you see, that's FUNNY because that's a dog's title, and I also made her MY bi..."  
  
"OKAY! Okay, enough of your blabbering, you screwed-up city boy!" the man spat out in repulsion, slowly backing away. He watched Zack with a critical eye as he returned to his abode... though hearing Zack saying something like 'oh yeah, you liked that... let's do it again, UH HUH!' was more than he wanted to hear. He looked up at Tifa... "Go to sleep, honey..." he warned.  
  
Zack looked behind himself when the door shut, making sure he was in the clear. He stood up and pat the dog on the side, "Thanks for the backup... 'bitch'... heh." He waited until the light in the first bedroom was off, then a few minutes more. Finally, he saw Tifa in her window. He looked up at her as she put her hand on the glass...  
  
"Thank you," she mouthed with a smile.  
  
Zack nodded and blew her a kiss and turned away with a wink.  
  
The SOLDIER wandered around for a while more, and then decided it may be time for the next watch. He strode back over to the Inn, and woke up his companion, though in a much more subtle way that Sephiroth had waken he. The MP stretched out for a bit, and asked Zack if anything happened. Zack smiled. "I got me a bitch!" he proclaimed teasingly. The MP shook his head and walked out.  
  
Zack laid down on his bed, facing the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He didn't WANT to sleep. He wanted to memorize every last detail of that girl and not stop thinking about her.  
  
"heh... 'bitch'... I'm a clever mothafugga..." he smiled to himself.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

_A bright, warm light pierced Zack's eyelids, stirring him from his sleep. Instinctively, he pulled his covers up over his face, and turned away from the glow. He vaguely remembered some voices, then something... no, someone pushing him lightly where he lay. Out of lazy rebellion, he refused move. In any case, his aching, tired body would have been unwilling to accommodate him if he had wanted to.  
  
...  
  
Zack awoke with a start, his heart racing from panic. "SHIT!" he yelled out. He looked around. The room was empty. There were dirty plates left on the table from breakfast, and everyone and their equipment was gone. He knew he was going to be in severe trouble. He had no clue how long ago his companions had awaken, but for all Zack knew, they could have just left two minutes or two hours ago. In a scramble, he went to find his boots and equipment.  
  
Zack flung a bag over his shoulder, and grabbed his sword, sheathing it behind him. He ducked into the bathroom quickly to wash his face and brush his teeth, doing so quickly and vigorously. He slicked back his maim, and looked himself over. With a nod of self-approval, he turned on his heel and practically ran out of the room, grabbing an apple that sat in a bowl on the way.  
  
Without looking the apple over, he bit into it...  
  
"...?"  
  
His jaw could not pierce the fruit. He disengaged it from his mouth and looked it over, and spit out in disgust.  
  
"Blarg! Plastic!" he yelled, tossing it unconcernidly behind himself. He closed his still heavy eyes and shook his head, and his stomach began to growl, as tight muscles screamed for just a few minutes more of rest...  
  
"What a fuggin way to start the day..." the SOLDIER lamented to himself. As he reached the base of the stairs, he turned to the Inn-Keeper in desperation.  
  
"Hey, you got any fruit that's -not- made of plastic?" He asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. He must of succeeded, or the Inn Keeper didn't notice, for he gave a curt reply and retrieved an large, perfect apple for the young man. "Thanks!" Zack said with a close-eyed smile.  
  
As Zack left the building, sunlight assaulted his eyes once more in force. The morning Air in Nibelhiem was cool, and he shivered slightly, not having sleeves. Though he knew that it would get hotter as the day went on... or so he hoped. He looked around, and saw Sephiroth and the others congregating at the edge of town, with some civilians scattered about. He quickly gobbled down the apple as he went into a jog to catch up to the rest of his team.  
  
"You're late," Sephiroth stated flatly when Zack was close enough.  
  
"...Again," one of the MPs shot jokingly. Much to Zack's disdain, Sephiroth actually smiled when the MP said that. Zack just gave the troop a look.  
  
Zack looked about, taking in every last detail, and observing the people around him; a by-product of SOLDIER training. One of the men nearby was Tifa's father, looking over the group with a critical frown. It deepened into a flat out angry scowl when he and the young SOLDIER made eye contact.  
  
"When the guide gets here," Sephiroth began to announce, "we'll be on our way."  
  
"...Guide?" Zack questioned.  
  
"I told the others last night, weren't you listening?"  
  
"I think I was passed out..." Zack replied lamely, scratching his head.  
  
Tifa's father strode up to the legendary general, trying to remain cool-headed and seem neutral. "Listen to me, Sephiroth, if anything happens..."  
  
"Don't worry," Sephiroth said assuringly.  
  
Zack looked on in confusion... was the guide really...?  
  
Tifa came running up to the group. She wore a leather-skin sleeveless vest and skirt which went down to her thighs, both articles possessing tassels on the bottoms. She wore heeled cowboy boots which went half-way up to her knees, a white sleeveless shirt and a large brown cowboy hat which finished her outfit. Zack smiled to himself, while Tifa's father shot her an angry glance, disapproved of the way she was dressed. Still, he didn't want to bring it up...  
  
"Relax, Dad. I have two men from SOLDIER with me!" she replied to her fathers comment. She gave Zack a wry glance, then looked at Sephiroth. "My name's Tifa, nice to meet you!" she had said.  
  
Sephiroth simply nodded, and went to turn around...  
  
"... You're the guide?" Zack asked in amusement.  
  
"Yup," Tifa responded, "It just so happens I'm the number one guide in this town!" she explained, practically gloating.  
  
Sephiroth was about to give the order to leave, when suddenly...  
  
"Uhm"... A man who'd been standing there all along, but seemed inconspicuous, spoke up... "Mister Sephiroth! I.. please let me take a picture as a memento?" he asked with both hope and fear. Not so much fear of rejection as fear of ticking off the legendary warrior and getting decapitated!  
  
Sephiroth looked at his charges. One of the MPs gave him a nod, as Zack and Tifa took positions to pose in the picture as well. Sephiroth reluctantly trudged over to the group and stood straight.  
  
"Cheeeeeese!" the man sang. The camera clicked, and Sephiroth simply walked away. "Great, thank you!" the man said excitedly, "I'll give each of you a copy once it's developed!"  
  
...  
  
The group finally took their leave of the town, and headed north, towards Mount Nibel. At first, the path was still a grassy plain, which steadily increased in altitude as the mountains surrounded it. Zack made a mental note about the mountain's shapes... instead of coming to peeks, they branched out like gray, rocky fingers, or spikes in some cases. Soon the grass disappeared, and all that was left was the barren trail through the mountains.  
  
Despite the fact that Tifa was the guide, she stayed behind Sephiroth. The path so far was pretty straight-forward, and every time they did come to a split or a fork, Sephiroth had some how automatically chosen the correct one. Tifa wondered about this, but said nothing for the time being. Though she did begin to wonder how she could be a contribution and not a hindrance.  
  
Soon, the party had come to a bridge. The two MPs stopped for a bit and relaxed for a moment. Sephiroth continued onto the bridge, but stopped in the middle. It was a rope bridge with rotting wooden planks, and the rope seemed dangerously old and worn. As he looked around, all he could see were mountains. He didn't think they had traveled far, but he could no longer see the town, nor the plains which surrounded it.  
  
"It gets harder from here..." Tifa announced to the group, making sure Sephiroth heard her, "Follow me!" She jogged up the bridge, sure of it's ability to remain intact. She had come this way several times; if it ever would break, it would have done so a long time ago.  
  
Unfortunately, she failed to take into account that the bridge was supporting four heavily armed men..  
  
As the group made it past the mid-point, everyone's attention was grabbed by a very disturbing sound. Sephiroth SAW it first... the top rope on the left side was becoming unbraided, and before even he could respond, it snapped!  
  
The bridge tilted over, now being barley held together. The SOLDIERs held fast, Tifa almost fell, but was grabbed by Zack. Kawolski fell over as the bridge rocked, and into the depths below! But before Zack could even shout out his name...  
  
-SNAPT!-  
  
The other three ropes gave way simultaneously, sending the remaining four plummeting down the mountainside!  
  
As they fell, everything went into slow-motion in Zack's mind. He had to focus... he knew he could survive the tumble, but could Tifa? He grabbed her and clutched her to himself, and aimed his body at the rocks below. As they fell, Zack and Tifa were separated from Sephiroth and the other MP, and they rolled down another path after Zack hit the mountain.  
  
He bounced down the path, gravity seemingly determined to pull the SOLDIER down into oblivion. As he tumbled, he protected Tifa's body from harm, and took the brunt of each and every impact. Finally, the path began to even-off, and they rolled for several yards...  
  
Before coming to another drop.  
  
Zack fell a good 10 feet, and stopped dead with a bone-breaking THUD... all the while still holding Tifa in his arms. The trip down had caused a great deal of dust to gather onto them, making Tifa cough violently as she tried to take deep breaths...  
  
"-cough- -COUGH-.. Z-Zack.." she whispered. He had to be alive... a dead person couldn't hold onto her that tight... could they?  
  
"uugh..." was Zack's reply, turning his head ever so slowly. Tifa breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"That... you... wow, you just save my life!" she said, still trying to process what happened, and being in mild shock. She looked at Zack's bruised face... "But you can let me go now..." she continued flatly.  
  
Zack opened his eyes... "Aww, yer -cough- no fun," he replied, opening his arms. Tifa sat up, sitting on his abdomen. They just looked at each other for a moment... "Hey, you mind scooting back a bit?" Zack teased with a wink.  
  
Tifa looked from side to side for a moment, as if in thought. She then narrowed her eyes and glared at the SOLDIER unenthusiastically. "You're such a pig," She stated. She stood up and started stretching. She looked down at Zack..  
  
"You gonna get up or not?" she asked.  
  
"uuh, I'd rather not," Zack replied with a groan.  
  
"And why's that?" the young girl asked.  
  
"Well for one, this is a HELL of a view!" he stated with a grin, looking her up and down, but continued before she could reply, "and two.. ow... I really effed-up my back..."  
  
Tifa backed off a few steps, and raised an eyebrow. "You're not winning any points by being a pervert and playing possum," she advised. "Now get up... and no dick jokes." She stated, offering her hand.  
  
"Did I already say you're no fun?"  
  
"About a minute ago. C'mon, I'll help you..." Tifa took Zack's hands and began to lift him up... Zack wasn't helping the effort much, more surprised and amused by Tifa's strength...  
  
Her grace and agility needed work, however. She slipped on some dust, and wound up releasing Zack. She flew back a few feet and landed on her behind as Zack collided with the ground once more.  
  
"Oowww.." Tifa whined, putting her hand to her back, and trying to stand again.  
  
It was about that time that Sephiroth and the remaining MP came around the bend from behind a bolder.  
  
"Is everyone alright?" the general asked... though his voice lacked concern.  
  
" ugh... no.." Zack said weakly. He held up a finger. "...Medic!" he joked weakly.  
  
Sephiroth refrained from rolling his eyes, and walked up to Zack. He closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply. A large green materia orb in his bracelet began to glow, and green energy surrounded him. The energy dissipated, and Sephiroth let forth his hand...  
  
Multi colored lights surrounded Zack's body, re-setting bones and curing his injuries. Even his hang nail was now gone. Tifa looked on in amazement at the cure spell.. she even felt that just being near it was healing her as well. Sephiroth turned to her, ready to cast it again, but then looked at her bewilderingly.  
  
"How are you uninjured?" he asked. Tifa pointed to Zack...  
  
"If anything, the guy makes a good human shield!" she quipped. Zack was going to respond, but decided he deserved every slam she had to give out.  
  
Sephiroth nodded in comprehension, and began to look around. "Will we be able to get to the reactor from here? Or even back to town?"  
  
Tifa stood up and nodded. "These mountains all share caves and paths, which are intertwined, like an ant farm," she explained. She looked around quickly, "Oh, and Sephiroth... one person seems to be missing..."  
  
A hint of sadness came across Sephiroth's face, but it vanished just as quickly. "It may sound cruel, but we've no time to search for him. We cannot go back, so we must go on."  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment, until Sephiroth started walking. The group rejoined him, and followed him up the path. The path was steep, and went up for several yards. The group finally came across a cave...  
  
The cave was full of stalagmites and stalactites. The party had to watch their heads as well as the ground where they were walking. There were several small caves which went off to the sides, all along the twenty-or-so foot wall. But the single outstanding feature of this cave was the color: it was green. Sephiroth had explained that the coloration was due to the mountain's abundance of Mako, which is why the reactor was built there.  
  
Tifa tried stepping to the front of the line...  
  
"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked.  
  
"I'm the guide, aren't I? So, I'm guiding..." She replied, starting to walk backwards.  
  
"If we are attacked by monsters, I do not want to have to worry about you getting in my way," Sephiroth stated, almost coldly.  
  
"Relax, it's not like there's any monsters..." suddenly, Tifa bumped into something.  
  
Something big, green, and scaly.  
  
"... in... here?" She looked up at the dragon wide-eyed, wondering just where the hell this huge dragon had come from.. it wasn't there ten seconds ago. This had to be why they were called "random encounters"...  
  
Tifa ran forward with a yell. The MP opened fire, distracting the dragon while Sephiroth went to decapitate it. The dragon turned its head at the sight of the blade, and ended up getting it's face sliced in half. The neck and the rest of the head swung around wildly for a moment before the dragon collapsed.  
  
Zack had just unsheathed his sword, but it was already over. Tifa was next to him, breathing quickly and heavily, fear still fresh in her eyes.  
  
"Wow, talk about a splitting headache!" Zack commented. Sephiroth glared at him while re-sheathing his Masamune...  
  
"Zackery, while I do not mind the occasional witticism, please, do me a favor, and keep your bad puns to yourself."  
  
Zack became flushed with embarrassment, and Tifa calmed down enough to giggle at his expense. The MP had turned to face Zack, pointed a finger and made a laughing motion, for which he received a rough -but still playful- shove. "Shut the fuck up..." Zack grumbled.  
  
The group made it out of the cave without further incident, Tifa gladly maintaining position behind Sephiroth and next to Zack. Soon, they had reached a very strange cave. It was open at the top, letting the sun in, and strange, winding plants grew all around. In the middle of it all, a pool of liquid energy released beams of light up and around a crystal-like formation. It seemed to sing like a divine orchestra humming their art.  
  
"Wow..." Tifa exclaimed. Apparently, she'd never been in this cave before.  
  
"What is it?" Zack asked.  
  
"It's a Mako fountain; a miracle of Nature." Sephiroth explained, walking up to it. Zack and Tifa followed suite, while the MP lingered behind.  
  
Tifa observed the wondrous sight. She turned to face Sephiroth... "If the reactor continues to suck up all the energy..." she worried aloud, "This fountain will dry up, too!" she finished, holding out her arms to emphasize her point.  
  
Sephiroth ignored Tifa, and walked right up to the fountain. He recognized the crystals as... "Materia. When Mako energy is condensed, Materia is produced," he pointed out, "It is very rare to see materia in its natural state."  
  
"Say.." Zack inquired, coming up to Sephiroth, "Why is it that when we use materia, we can use magic, too?"  
  
Sephiroth gave Zack a disgusted look. "You're in SOLDIER and don't even know that?"  
  
Zack remained silent, afraid that what ever he'd say would only tick Sephiroth off more. Sephiroth sighed and went on to explain...  
  
"The knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the materia. Anyone with this knowledge can freely call upon the powers of the land and Planet. That knowledge interacts between ourselves and the Planet... or so they say."  
  
Zack nodded. "Magic. A mysterious power."  
  
Sephiroth let out a hearty laugh, which actually looked kind of strange, enough so for Tifa to start laughing.  
  
"Wh-what'd I say somthin' funny?" Zack asked in confused embarrassment.  
  
"A man once told me never to use unscientific terms like 'Mysterious power'," Sephiroth answered, "It shouldn't even be called 'magic'! I still remember how angry he was."  
  
"And who was that?" Zack asked with a sweep of his arm.  
  
"Hojo, of Shinra, Inc. An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes." Sephiroth replied with a disappointed shake of his head.  
  
"So this is where the knowledge of the Ancients is..." Tifa mused to herself. Without another word, the group unanimously decided to continue on their way.  
  
A half an hour and three groups of monsters later, the group finally reached their destination. The Mako reactor stood as a tower of machinery in the middle of the wilderness, making a stark contrast. It stood at a hollowed-out dead end of the mountain path, parts of it were rusted, and there were a few places where sheet metal had been used to cover breaches, and pipes cut into and through the mountain like a hospital patient on life support. A fifteen foot staircase lead into the only entrance to the reactor. Sephiroth and Zack started up, but then they both turned around...  
  
"Tifa, you wait here..." Zack told the girl in an uncharacteristically commandant tone.  
  
"I'm going inside, too!" Tifa rebutted adamantly, "I want to see!"  
  
Sephiroth came down the stairs a bit, "This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets. Only authorized people are allowed."  
  
"But..." Tifa tried, but to no avail.  
  
Sephiroth cut her off, and turned to the MP. "Take care of the lady," he commanded with a nod. The MP hesitated for a moment, but nodded. He stood in front of the stairs and held out his hand as Tifa tried to pass, shaking his head.  
  
"Mmm, Man!" Tifa whined, stomping her foot. She walked off a bit to chill out, but had to take out her frustration somehow... She turned her head to the MP... "You better take real good care of me, then!" she shouted._  



	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

_Sephiroth and Zack made their way into the reactor, Zack feeling a little bit guilty about being such a jerk to Tifa back at the entrance. However, he had to concentrate on not falling into the Mako pit several hundred feet below them: the entrance to the reactor was a few pipes covered with wooden boards, after which one would have to climb down a shaky, rusted ladder, and then make their way across a large pipe with no guard rails to hang onto.  
  
After he and Sephiroth had made it across, Zack gave a small sigh of relief. While he had been through many much worse obstacle courses in his SOLDIER training, Zack was still uncomfortable with the fact that one minor slip would result in a rather undignified demise. Zack shook his head and continued forward into the next chamber, carefully eyeing some large, rapidly spinning gears off to his right.  
  
The next room was mostly red, with several white... pods of some sort, with large, pipe-like cables going out through their tops and into the ceiling above. They were arranged in rows of three, with about three rows going all the way up each side of the steps which went up the center of the room.  
  
Which is where Sephiroth stood, appearing to be contemplating something. Zack strode up to him, spying a sign above the door Sephiroth stood in front of: J.E.N.O.V.A. Zack thought that sounded familiar, and tried asking Sephiroth what he was doing. But Sephiroth barely noticed his young charge, wrapped in his own concerns. The general experimentally tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.  
  
He casually turned and walked back down the stairs, Zack following him closely. Sephiroth eyed each of the containers with suspicion, until they reached the second lowest platform. Sephiroth pointed over at the first pod to his right, seeing something Zack couldn't distinguish. "This is the cause of the malfunction. Zack, close that valve," Sephiroth requested. Zack gave a nod and knelt in front of the strange container, and pulled out his pack. Inside, he found just what he was looking for, a specially fitted monkey-wrench. He used it to turn the valve until it would turn no more.  
  
Sephiroth did not bother to oversee Zack's progress, and busied himself with his own thoughts. "Why did it break?" he wondered quietly to himself, putting his hand to his chin. He looked over at the pod next to him, and pulled himself up high enough to look inside the circular window which was also present on all of the pods. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, and hopped back down. "Now I see, Hojo... but doing this will never put you on the same level as Professor Gast," he muttered to no one in particular.  
  
Zack happened to of been standing there when Sephiroth said this, and gave Sephiroth a puzzled look, not knowing what the hell he was talking about.  
  
"This is a system which freezes and condenses Mako energy, that is, when it is working properly," Sephiroth began to explain, "Now, what does Mako become when it's condensed?" he asked Zack rhetorically.  
  
Zack put his hand to his chin and looked up, "Hmmm, uhm, oh yeah! It becomes Materia!" he answered, looking at the general.  
  
"Correct," Sephiroth replied, "But Hojo put something else in the tank. Take a look for yourself," he offered.  
  
Zack looked over at the pod, and jumped up to grab the window and pull himself up. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next...  
  
It barely looked human. It had large, gray spikes coming out of its forehead, and wrinkled, scaly skin... where it even had skin. Some portions were burned away, letting show red, glowing organs. It turned its head and looked at Zack with... what where its eyes should have been, there were only hallow pits which oozed out energy.  
  
"Yahg!" Zack yelled in surprise, dropping his ass onto the cold, hard metal floor. "W-wh-what the fuck was that?!" he asked in a panic.  
  
Sephiroth looked down at Zack and waited for him to pick himself up before responding. "Normal members of SOLDIER are humans showered in Mako. You're different from others, but still human." He paused for a moment, "But what are they? They've been exposed to a far higher degree of Mako than you."  
  
"What do you mean 'normal members of SOLDIER'? You're talking like..."  
  
"...no..." Sephiroth mumbled slowly. He started to shake, "Am I the same as all these monsters?!" He yelled out in defiance. He unsheathed his Masamune and began slashing at the tanks in frustration. Zack had to duck and jump out of Sephiroth's way as to not get himself chopped into bits!  
  
"Sephiroth...!" Zack tried, but Sephiroth would not listen. He took his frustrations out on another tank... yet somehow his blade was unable to pierce the metal containers.  
  
"You saw them!" Sephiroth yelled out in a frenzy, "All of them... were humans!"  
  
"Humans? No way!" Zack replied in disbelief.  
  
"Ever since I was small..." Sephiroth started to say as he began to calm down, "I felt as though I were... different. Special in some way. But never... not like this..." he said melancholaly, lowering his head and shaking it.  
  
Suddenly, a noise made Sephiroth snap to attention, drawing him out of his momentary depression. One of the containers near the top of the steps began to shake violently, sputtering electricity. It proceeded to crack open, as the creature inside yelled out with a cursed, high-pitched scream. The front opened up, as the creature fell to the floor.. it shook with weakness from not having moved since its incubation, which was who knew how long ago. It shook and trembled and convulsed, until it finally died from shock. Sephiroth looked at the display with wide, horrified eyes...  
  
"Am I... human?" he wondered aloud..._  
  
The crowd looked at Zack in stunned silence, as he paused for a minute to collect his own thoughts. Dyne was the first to speak...  
  
"So the Shinra were making monsters? That... I mean... wow... these guys are worse news than even -I- thought," the AVALANCHE leader pondered, scratching his head with his good hand.  
  
Zack stood up and stretched out. "Yeah, and there's more, too.. but I wanna kinda take a break for a minute," Zack said with a yawn.  
  
Tifa stood up as well, "I'll make some drinks... anyone want anything?" she offered. A few people replied, so she started for the bar...  
  
...but not before grabbing Zack by the arm and dragging him over with her.  
  
"He-e-e-ey, wh-what's the big idea?" he protested lightly. Tifa hopped over the bar, turned to Zack and gave the ex-SOLDIER a sour look. She leaned over and spoke softly...  
  
"You're not going to bring up what I THINK you're going to bring up, are you?" she whispered harshly.  
  
Zack rolled his eyes and gave her a smug smile, "I was considering it. Unless you want to give me some... incentive not to," he replied coyly.  
  
Tifa put one hand to Zack's throat, and the other digging into his jaw, causing his whole upper body to jolt in pain, "If you do, I'll make the last thirty seconds of your life the most painful!" she hissed angrily.  
  
"Is there a problem over there?" Dyne shouted. Tifa promptly took her hands away from Zack's person.  
  
"Mmm, no," Tifa replied innocently, and went back to making drinks. Zack rubbed his neck and cheek, giving Tifa a cold stare. She either didn't care or notice. Zack shook his head and resigned himself to sitting back down and ignoring her, for the time being, at least.  
  
After a few minutes, everyone sat back down, a few with drinks in their hand and ready for Zack to continue his tale. Once everyone was all situated...  
  
_Tifa paced slowly back and forth, keeping a cautious eye on the MP in front of the reactor. She couldn't tell if he was staring at her or asleep because of his helmet/mask that protected his face. She had heard rumors of Shinra employees -particularly in the military- taking advantage of local women when they were out on assignment. She had to be cautious, as she had been with Zack so far. But aside from talking like a pervert, he seemed like an okay guy. This MP though seemed like something else. He hadn't talked the whole time, and if she didn't know better, Tifa could have sworn the young troop seemed extremely nervous... for what reason, she could not fathom. Maybe he was -thinking- of jumping her, and trying to balance the pros and cons of such actions... or maybe he just liked looking at pretty girls, never having the courage to even approach one.  
  
Or maybe she was wrong about him being nervous. He was standing straight, trying not to flinch... maybe he was just trying to instill a SOLDIER-like discipline upon himself. Or maybe he already had a girlfriend, or maybe he was gay, either scenario meaning that he wouldn't be too interested in Tifa, and that she had nothing to worry about.  
  
Tifa had no further time to worry about the MP's intentions, however, when Sephiroth hurriedly evacuated from the reactor, and started down the path from which they came. Zack was behind him, practically in a jog trying to keep up.  
  
"C'mon you two!" Zack yelled out to the guide and the MP.  
  
Tifa and the MP looked at each other, shrugged, and ran down the mountain path after the two SOLDIERs.  
  
Sephiroth's path was seemingly sporadic, and Tifa herself wound up getting lost. She tried to warn Sephiroth, but he paid her no heed. They kept walking up and down mountain paths for what seemed like hours, until finally the mountains began to level off, leading to the plains in front of Nibelheim. Tifa had no clue how Sephiroth had navigated them to this point with such relative ease, but she could see the town a small distance away. Tired and full of joy that they had not gotten lost in the mountains like she had begun to fear, Tifa shook off her doubts and headed home.  
  
"UGH I'm exhausted!" Zack proclaimed, plopping himself down on his bed, and peeling off his boots.  
  
The MP grunted in agreement, slipping off his mask. He gave Zack a look...  
  
"Oh, right..." Zack said. He looked over to the General, "Hey, Sephiroth, you gonna write to Kawolski's parents about him or should I?"  
  
Sephiroth gave no answer. His eyes looked empty, and he appeared completely lost in thought. Zack had never seen the man like this, and Zack felt almost chilled to the bone by his presence. Sephiroth slowly exited the room and went into the one down the hall. Zack could faintly hear Sephiroth locking the door to his new room.  
  
"The hell's goin' on?" Zack wondered to himself.  
  
He tried for the remainder of the afternoon to get Sephiroth's attention, but Zack would not be heard. Even the MP tried, but to no avail. After several hours, Zack finally realized the futility of his efforts, and plopped himself down on his bed, tired from the days expedition.  
  
Zack awoke sometime during the night, his rest interrupted by his stomach's cries for sustenance. He reluctantly pulled himself up, then off the bed. He looked down at his dirty, soiled clothing, and decided a change would be in order. He quietly picked up his bag and made his way into the bathroom, gently closing the door as to not interrupt his friend's sleep.  
  
Zack turned on the faucet and bent down to drink its aqueous yield while at the same time peeling off his one-piece SOLDIER uniform. He replaced the purple cloth-armor combo with a pair of cargo pants and a blue tee shirt. The shirt wasn't exactly tight on him, but it still displayed a good deal of his chest and shoulder muscles in the right light. Splashing his face with water, Zack took a final look at himself, and nodded in approval.  
  
The young SOLDIER made his way quietly down the steps of the Inn, and peeked around what served as the lobby. It didn't look like their small kitchen was open at this time of night. Zack wondered what time it actually was, and saw a clock while looking about. It read either 1:00 or 12:05; Zack was never very good at reading clocks, let alone in a dark room illuminated only by the moon-beams from outside and a small candle which had been carelessly left lit on the counter. Zack played the good Samaritan and put the candle out by literally grabbing the flame with his fingers, snuffing it.  
  
Zack wandered over to the general store, dismayed to find it locked. His stomach began to squeeze itself painfully, almost making Zack want to keel over. He put his hand on the wall, and looked downward, trying to collect himself. He had been taught how to survive for days without food during his SOLDIER training, and started to try and remember all he had learned.  
  
Suddenly a sound caught Zack's attention. He perked up and looked over to his right, a slight smile coming to his face in the process.  
  
Tifa jogged up in much the same clothing as she had worn the night previous, not really caring how her body bounced with each new step. She had seen Zack on her way back down from the mountain, and started right for him, almost eager for some company.  
  
"Hey!" they both said at once. The two youngsters looked at each other with bemused, puzzled expressions for a moment before breaking out into laughter.  
  
"shh, shh!" Zack warned playfully, "Your dad might hear us!"  
  
"Hm? Oh, no. We don't have to worry about that. He's with half the village trying to repair the bridge," Tifa responded informatively. Zack smiled at the news.  
  
"Rreeaallyy?" Zack replied with a wide grin coming to his face, inching a bit closer to Tifa. Tifa looked up and to the side for a moment before responding.  
  
"Y-yes, 'rreeaallyy'.. why do you ask?" she asked slowly, a bit of nervousness creeping in.  
  
"Well, can I come over?" Zack asked plainly. Tifa's eyes widened a bit, and she looked at the SOLDIER skeptically for a moment before she replied.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Cuz I am like, SO hungry," he answered, putting his hand to his stomach, "All I've had to eat in the past day and a half was an apple," He finished with a shrug.  
  
Tifa looked at her new "friend" for quite a while before replying. She wanted to make sure he was completely telling the truth. He seemed to be on the level: He was slightly hunched over, his usually mischievous eyes didn't seem to hold an ounce of mistruth. Tifa shook her head lightly to herself, telling herself to stop being so paranoid. A part of her wanted to stay as far away from the older teenager as possible. Another part wanted to grab him, throw him on the ground and make out until the sun came up. She wasn't used to feeling like this. Most of the boys in town had left just after she hit puberty, so she was unused to someone her age being around who was interested in her, and the feeling was somewhat mutual. She wasn't used to harboring such feelings, either. Was this natural? She had just met him, why would she want to do something like that? Well, because he was hot. But it would be wrong, and her father would kill them both!  
  
But he was still hot. Not that that mattered, he was kind of a jerk.. but he did seem to have a sweet side...  
  
Tifa sighed, and collected herself. With a smile, she motioned for Zack to follow her back to her house.  
  
"Sit," she commanded, motioning to a chair in the kitchen. Zack looked around the older-looking house. The floor was made of large planks of dark wood, which was starting to fade, crack, and show its age. There were rugs here and there, possibly to conceal the worse parts of the floor. A portion of the floor was made of stone, where a large oven stood, possibly as a heater. There was also a china set which stood next to the fridge, which was followed by the cooking stove and an old, metal sink, all of which took up the east portion of the wall and the corner.  
  
Tifa was standing by the stove, busying herself with something. Zack couldn't believe what he thought he was seeing...  
  
"Uhm, Tifa?"  
  
"Yeah?" she replied without turning around.  
  
"A-are you actually cooking something?" he asked, unsure of himself.  
  
"Of course, you said you were hungry, right?" Tifa replied, turning her head a bit.  
  
"Well, yeah, but I thought maybe you were gonna give me an orange and toss me out or something.." Zack said, scratching his head.  
  
"What makes you think that?" the younger girl asked, turning back to the meal she was preparing.  
  
Zack blinked, but didn't say anything. (Well, actually he did, but "..." doesn't really count, now does it?) He looked over at Tifa, trying to get a glimpse of her body. This time, she was wearing a sports bra under her muscle shirt, so he couldn't see a whole lot. Zack shook his head and decided to be at least semi respectful, and just looked down at his hands, which were folded in front of him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Tifa asked after a few moments.  
  
"huh?" Zack replied, looking up at her.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were humbled by something..." she said, trailing off, giving Zack a look he couldn't decipher.  
  
"Well, you don't know me better, do ya?" Zack responded with his usual coy smile, putting his arm on the table and using it to support his head.  
  
Tifa launched a carrot at Zack's arm, knocking it out of place. Zack's head collided with the table with a slight thud without his arm to support him any longer. "Yeow!"  
  
"No elbows on the table!" she reprimanded, pointing at Zack with her wooden mixing spoon.  
  
Zack grumbled something Tifa didn't understand. She just looked at him with a sarcastic smile and he pulled his head off the wooden table. Any resentment Zack held towards Tifa at the moment melted away when he saw her looking right at him with that smile. They just looked each other over for a minute before Tifa went back to making...  
  
uhm...  
  
"Hey, what're you making, anyway?"  
  
"It's a surprise," she teased.  
  
After a few minutes more, Tifa began distributing the contents of the pot into two bowls. She handed one, along with a large spoon, to Zack. He looked it over: It seemed to be some kind of stew or soup. It had some carrots, celery... some kind of meat Zack thought might have been chicken. He took an experimental bite...  
  
"AGH! HOT SOUP! HOT SOUP!" he yelled, almost falling out of his chair. Tifa chuckled.  
  
"Of course it's hot, it's right off the stove, ya doofus!"  
  
"Ya'd think I'd know that," Zack said, recomposing himself. "It's just... it's been a long time since I've had a hot, home-cooked meal.." he said, trailing off. He didn't want to think about then...  
  
"Hm?" Tifa mumbled out, taking a bit of her own. She noticed the sadness that appeared on Zack's face as he said that last sentence. "Something wrong?"  
  
"N-no," Zack muttered, obviously lying through his teeth. Tifa decided not to pursue the subject. The two just continued eating, not saying much, but stealing the occasional glance at one another. After he was done eating, Zack stood up and took his plate over to the sink, and offered to take Tifa's as well. She simply stood up and brought it over herself, accidentally brushing her body against Zack's as she did. Both of them pretended not to notice.  
  
"That.. was delicious!" Zack commented, looking at Tifa with a broad smile. She blushed a bit.  
  
"It.. it's nothing. Ever since Mom died, I've had to do all the cooking," Tifa said.  
  
"Your dad makes you cook?" Zack questioned.  
  
"No, but I still didn't have a choice. He's AWFUL at it! He can't even make a sandwich right!" This was followed by about a minute of laughter. After they calmed down, Zack put his hand through Tifa's hair...  
  
"Well, at least he did something right..." Zack said, looking Tifa right in the eye. She shied away and blushed a bit more.  
  
"Zack..." she muttered half-angrily, trying to fight off her own urges.  
  
"Sorry, sorry..." Zack replied, holding up his hands. "But I owe you for this. Anything, you name it."  
  
"No, really, you don't have to-"  
  
"I insist. I always repay my debts," Zack interrupted, taking Tifa's hands.  
  
Tifa looked up into Zack's glowing blue eyes... "Zack..."  
  
...  
  
The fields outside of Nibelheim were dark, vacant, and full of high, all concealing wheat crops... The perfect place...  
  
"Ugh!"  
  
"Aaah!"  
  
"Hrmph!"  
  
Zack got down on his knees, sweat covering his body. His muscles begged for relaxation, his nerves fried at over stimulation. He had no clue that this one girl could take so much of of him...  
  
A high kick to his jaw snapped him out of his stupor and he hit the ground hard.  
  
Tifa stood over him, triumphant. "Is that the best you can do, SOLDIER-boy? The country-girl isn't even sweating yet!" she boasted, despite the small amount of perspiration on her brow. She pushed her attack, charging at the fallen young man. Zack rolled away and quickly -though reluctantly- stood up. He blocked Tifa's attacks, but his arms were starting to weaken under the constant pressure.  
  
Tifa tried a spinning high-kick, which Zack caught and hung onto. He tried sweeping her other foot, but she launched herself up, and using her captured leg as a balance, she ferociously kicked Zack with her free foot several times before he let go. Zack staggered back, and shook his head. He wasn't getting anywhere going on the defensive. He charged at Tifa, ready to fake with a high punch and sneak in a low hit. He swung several times, Tifa barely dodging each attack. She finally grabbed Zack's arms and pushed them away, opening him up to her own attack: a slap to the nose.  
  
"OW!" Zack cried out, holding his face. He swung at Tifa again, who ducked under his arm, then came up with a jump, grabbing his shirt. She pulled it over his head, and before Zack could respond, Tifa tied it up in a knot, trapping him inside his own clothing!  
  
Zack squirmed to get free, and Tifa took a time out to take a good look at Zack's naked, chiseled chest. She smiled in self-satisfaction, and pushed Zack one-handed to the ground. "You give up yet?" She mocked, bending over. Zack squirmed for another minute or so, before stopping and plopping himself flat on his back.  
  
Tifa dutifully freed Zack form his textile prison and lay down next to him. She didn't want to admit it, but she was exhausted, too. She looked up at the star-lit sky, its beauty and mysteriousness calming her. She turned her head over to Zack and smiled.  
  
"Whatchya thinking about?" she mused. Zack blinked at turned his head to her. Their faces were only inches apart.  
  
"I think... I wanna rematch..." he said between breaths.  
  
"Now?" Tifa teased with a smile.  
  
"No, no!" Zack replied in exaggerated fear, cowering away and holding his arms in front of his face defensively.  
  
Tifa giggled and pulled Zack's arm over to and behind her head so she could rest on his shoulder. "Well, thanks for practicing with me. You were almost a challenge..."  
  
Zack stuck his tongue out defensively, but soon was smiling again. They both scooted closer to one another, letting the hypnotic pattern of twinkling stars put them to sleep..._


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

_Day had broken over Nibelhiem, as obviously evidenced by the Sun peeking up over the mountains, ready to go about its normal routine of gradually coming up over the sky before retreating back below the Earth. Tifa slowly opened her eyes, seeing Zack laid out practically beneath her. Their arms were positioned around one another in a cuddly embrace. Tifa arched up slowly, yawning. She gave Zack a slight shake...  
  
"Hey... Hey Zack," She muttered softly in between yawns, "...wake up."  
  
Zack seemed to mutter something, but Tifa couldn't tell what he may of been trying to say. As it was, Zack simply turned his head away from the younger girl. Tifa knew they had to get back to town before her father noticed she was missing, and Zack laying there was not helping her cause. She tried everything to wake Zack up: Holding his nose, poking various pressure points, and even slapping him. But Zack remained stubbornly asleep.  
  
"WAKE UP DAMMIT!" Tifa finally yelled into Zack's ear. No response presented itself. Tifa eyed Zack angrily, wondering if maybe he was actually awake and just trying to be annoying. She at last resorted to pulling up on Zack's hair.  
  
Zack awoke with a start and a yell the moment Tifa's hand touched his mane, pushing her off, rolling away and getting up into a defensive position.  
  
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Tifa asked angrily, picking herself up.  
  
"Sorry," Zack replied sheepishly, "It's just that we SOLDIERS are... sensitive about our hair," he explained, brushing his hands through his hair.  
  
"Well, we gotta get back into town..." Tifa said slowly, thumbing back towards the small village. As they walked, Tifa's mind raced for possible excuses and alibis. If her father saw them coming back from the fields together in the slightly deshelved state they were both in (messy hair, wrinkled clothes, and the like), he'd certainly assume they were engaged in far less innocent activities than they had actually been engaged in, and he'd kill them both!  
  
Tifa's father was waiting for them at the town gates, crossing his arms and giving them a very unfriendly stare. His expression lightened up just a bit when he noticed Zack was limping slightly and had a black eye. "What in the lord's name happened to you, boy?"  
  
"Your daughter beat me up, sir," Zack admitted humbly.  
  
Mister Lockheart gave both youngsters cynical, analyzing stares for what seemed like an eternity. Tifa was offering all sorts of excuses backing up Zack's claim, but he wasn't interested in listening to his daughters supposed lies. But, in the end, he determined that they hadn't done anything TOO bad. He had no real evidence they had even done anything. For all he knew, Tifa had been kicking the crap out of the SOLDIER for the past several hours. The man decided to put his usual suspicion and uneasiness aside and give the two the benefit of the doubt. Zack obviously hadn't forced himself on the girl, Tifa wouldn't of been walking with him then. And also, he figured he had raised Tifa to be a better person than to engage in immoral activates of her own accord, so he had no choice but to trust them. For now.  
  
He eyed Zack a moment more. "I thought I told you to stay away from my daughter," he stated flatly.  
  
"Uh, well I..."  
  
"Shut up. Tifa..." Mister Lockheart said, "Home, now."  
  
Tifa obediently bowed her head a bit and started walking, her father right behind her. "And what did I tell you about dressing like that?"  
  
Zack could not hear the rest of their conversation, as he was just standing there by the gates for a while. He decided he should get back to the Inn and check on Sephiroth.  
  
When the young SOLDIER got back into his room, he saw the MP eating breakfast. Juice, toast, bacon, and eggs from the look of it. He saw Zack come in and pushed a plate over to the other side of the table for his friend-slash-superior officer. Zack sat down in front of his plate, a smile forming on his face.  
  
"Food! I NEED it!" He exclaimed excitedly. The MP smiled a bit at Zack's enthusiasm and shook his head.  
  
"So where were ya?" the MP asked.  
  
"Uhh, out for a walk," Zack replied between bites.  
  
"What's with the black eye?" The MP inquired after he swallowed a mouth full of food.  
  
Zack took a bite and finished before responding, while trying to think up a good lie. "I ran into a monster... wish I'd brought my sword," Zack managed to say. He felt bad for lying, but he had a good reason.  
  
The MP seemed to accept the answer and continued to finish his breakfast.  
  
"Sephiroth wake up yet?" Zack asked.  
  
"Nuh uh."  
  
"Go see if he's feeling a little better, would ya?" Zack requested. The MP shrugged and walked out the door.  
  
Zack continued eating, and had to admit the great part about being out on assignment like this was the great food locals would cook up and provide free of charge. Well, Shinra still had to pay for it, but none of the money came out of Zack's pocket, so he didn't bother to make the distinction.  
  
"ZACK!"  
  
Zack's eyes widened in surprise as he spun around in his chair. "WHA?" he tried to yell out, a bit of egg retreating from his mouth.  
  
The MP ran to the door and peeked his head inside the room, "Come quick, Sephiroth's gone!"  
  
Zack swallowed what was left of the food in his mouth, waited a moment, and took a sip of juice. He spit the juice out in a delayed response to the MP's words. "Whaaat?!" The young SOLDIER leapt out of his chair and charged into the room Sephiroth had claimed the night before.  
  
Even though light was coming in through the windows, the room seemed eerily dark. Large amounts of blood lined the walls, and large sword marks marred the wall. There was not a single piece of furniture which had survived... whatever had happened. There was a carved, perfect circle in the middle of the room, with five unlit candles surrounding it, a few of them knocked over.  
  
"Y'know, I always warned Sephiroth that demon-worshiping was gonna come back to bite him in the ass one day, but would he listen? Noooo..." Zack tried joking.  
  
"Shut up dude, this's serious!" the MP retorted. Zack nodded, knowing his friend was right. "So what do we do?"  
  
Zack started to think, but nothing came to mind. "How did this happen, didn't you hear anything?!"  
  
"No man, I was asleep the whole time!"  
  
"Okay, okay, lemme think..."  
  
"What happened back at the reactor?" the MP asked. Zack's eyes practically lit up.  
  
"The reactor, that's it!" the SOLDIER replied, snapping his fingers.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Back at the reactor, Sephiroth started freaking out because he started thinking he was created to be like some sort of monster or something," Zack explained. "He's probably gone back there!"  
  
"Well, what if he didn't?" the MP asked. Zack's revere was suddenly broken off.  
  
"Uhhh... Okay, okay. I'll check the town, you have the guide take you back up t..."  
  
"NO!" The MP blurted out, holding out his arms while shaking his hands and head.  
  
"... Okay, okay, fine. I'll have her take me back there, you check out the town, maybe he's lurking in an alley or something," Zack said, changing his mind. "Oh, and, we don't wanna start a panic, so don't tell anyone what's up, okay?"  
  
Zack ran back into the other room and quickly changed back into his official Shinra SOLDIER clothes. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was very...  
  
...VERY...  
  
Wrong.  
  
Zack jogged over to Tifa's house, still fully aware of what her father had said to him not fifteen minutes earlier. He knocked on the door and tapped his foot waiting for a response. He peered inside the window, and it appeared as though no one was home. Zack was about to curse his rotten luck when suddenly some noises caught his attention. He followed them back behind Tifa's house, where she was training with her sensei, Zangan. He seemed to be demonstrating some kind of multi-part combo attack.  
  
"Tifa, hey Tifa!" Zack yelled out, jogging over to them. He noticed that Tifa had changed her clothes into something a bit more "Becoming" and "Respectable". A loose, long-sleeved shirt along with some large cargo pants.  
  
"What do you want?" Tifa replied, trying to hold back her current contempt for the older boy. He had gotten her grounded for two weeks... but that wasn't 100% his fault, now was it? Maybe, maybe not, but she still needed someone to blame.  
  
"I need your help. I've got to get back to the reactor..." Zack explained.  
  
Zangan interjected, "And why would that be?"  
  
"Uhhh, Shinra... business?" Zack replied weakly.  
  
Tifa looked up at the SOLDIER and raised an eyebrow, "What are you up to?"  
  
"Nothing, I swear! Sephiroth's gone and I... uh, er, I mean... shit."  
  
"Sephiroth is missing?" Zangan pressed. Zack knew he couldn't lie now.  
  
"Yeah, his room was a disaster area, and I dunno how long he's been gone and I think he's going crazy and I..."  
  
"Okay, okay, shut up!" Tifa interrupted. Zack turned to Zangan...  
  
"You wanna come with?" he asked the aging ninja.  
  
"How do you know he went to the reactor?" Zangan questioned hesitantly.  
  
"Just a hunch, really," Zack admitted.  
  
"I shall stay in town and help look for him," the gray haired man responded. "Perhaps he is still here somewhere."  
  
"Okay..." Zack said with a nod. He looked to Tifa, "You need anything else, or are you good like that?" he said, looking her up and down.  
  
"No, lemme get some hiking boots on..." Tifa replied. She went inside the house, and yelled out for Zack to meet her upfront. The two men jogged around the side of the house, where Zack motioned over to the MP, who came jogging over. They talked for a minute, and decided that letting everyone know what was going on might actually be the best thing to do, as there would then be more people looking for the missing SOLDIER. Tifa came out of her house a moment later, ready to go.  
  
Zack and Tifa started up the mountain trail and Zangan and the MP discussed their options..._  
  
"We looked for him for like, two days..." Zack explained. "Finally, we found him inside, go figure, the biggest building in the whole town."  
  
"We called it the 'Shinra mansion'.." Tifa explained, "..because people from Shinra used to live there."  
  
"I dunno why we didn't search there in the first place..." Zack said shyly.  
  
"You said he wasn't in there because the gate was still locked," Tifa shot humorously.  
  
"Well I didn't think he could jump a six-foot wall!" Zack retorted defensively.  
  
"The lock was SLICED OFF, you twit!" Tifa reminded him. This drew a bit of laughter from the other AVALANCHE members.  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah..." Zack mumbled, admitting defeat...  
  
_"Well at least we know where he is now!"  
  
"You could have saved us two days by just CHECKING the LOCK in the first place!" Tifa spat out.  
  
The MP stood between the two, trying to stop them from killing one another. Tifa's Father, Zangan, and the manager of the General Store were all gathered with the youngsters in front of the mansion's rusted, iron gates.  
  
"Well how was I supposed to know he wanted to crib out in some dilapidated old death trap?! Besides, I JUST saw him in the window just now, you want me to go back in time and tell myself...""  
  
"Children..." Zangan interrupted, peeling the two way from each other, much to the MP's relief, "Altercation will get us nowhere."  
  
"I agree..." Mister Lockheart replied. "Tifa, go home, please. Leave this to the adults and trained professionals..."  
  
"But Da..."  
  
"No buts, young lady."  
  
Tifa glared at her father angrily, and stomped off towards her home, grumbling.  
  
Zack stood in front of everyone in awkward silence for a bit, and scratched his head. He nodded to the MP and they went past the gates and into the mansion while the others stayed outside. The mansion looked spooky enough on the outside... they did not want to know what it was like inside. An irrepressible feeling of foreboding surrounded this place of past sin...  
  
Zack and the MP took in the "scenery". The house was all grayed out, with wall paper torn from the water-stained walls. What little furniture there was was broken or on it's way to being in such a state. Sunlight eerily came in through small holes in the roof and reflected off of broken shards of glass where windows once were. Beneath the two young men's feet was a worn, blackened carpet. A passage presented itself on each side, and broken, warped, wooden stairs leading to the upper level stood right in front of them.  
  
"Where'd you see him?" the MP asked, an uneasiness settling in.  
  
"He was down here somewhere... but just in case, check upstairs. I'll look down here," Zack responded.  
  
The Mp did as he was told and dutifully jogged up the stairs, and went off to the left. Zack went left as well, and found a burned out room with papers and junk scattered about. None of this interested him, so he tried the next room. It was very large, and in reasonably good condition, compared to the rest of the small mansion. The white tile floor was betrayed in its color by several inches of dark dust, making it appear gray. A piano stood in the center of the semi circular room. which was also adorned by long-dead plants. Zack fiddled with the piano keys experimentally for a moment, and was delightfully surprised that it still worked. He played a few keys before continuing his search for the wayward general.  
  
He followed a hallway which possessed a back door to a large balcony, but it was locked. Zack continued through the hall until he came into the kitchen, the odor of long forgotten and rotting food assaulting his nostrils with worse ferocity than a thousand SOLDIERS. Zack plugged his nose and closed his eyes, as if to prevent the smell from entering his body through them. He backed away, convinced that Sephiroth was not down here...  
  
The MP searched the long hallway, but without success. He came to a small, circular room with many dead plants. It felt hot, and the MP saw a large glass dome overhead. He figured he was what used to be some kind of green house. He exited with no delay, knowing that he was on a search. He forced open the door to the next room, hoping that Sephiroth would be in there. But the young man's hopes faded as he came to a small room with nothing more than a fallen bookshelf and a safe.  
  
The MP left it all alone and checked the room adjacent to the last. The door creaked and moaned, resisting its once operant motion, the rusted hinges excreting dust as friction forced the door to move. But it still opened easily nonetheless. Inside were a few beds, very old and a bit smelly, but not all that bad all things considered.  
  
The MP sighed and started walking the other way, when a streak of silver hair turned a corner away from him on the opposite side of the hallway.  
  
"Hey!" The MP shouted before going into a jog. However, a broken floor board caused the young man to trip, and he could only watch as Sephiroth entered a room which was barely visible around the corner. The MP pushed himself back up, and yelled down the stairs to his companion. "ZACK! I found him!" However, he had not needed to shout, as Zack was already on his way up the stairs. The MP dashed forward to catch up with Sephiroth...  
  
Bed, stone column, window, bookcase.... But no Sephiroth. The Mp looked around, confused. That's when Zack came in right behind him...  
  
"I SAW Sephiroth enter this room... but where'd he go?" The MP complained out loud. He entered the room and looked around cautiously.  
  
"Maybe your brain was messing with ya..." Zack pointed out, walking into the room as well. He leaned against the circular stone column, holding his hands behind his head. "I mean, it's not like he vanished into..."  
  
-CLICK!-  
  
Something behind Zack moved, and his body was no longer supported by anything but air. "...a hidden passage... " he muttered lamely before falling backwards down the spiral, broken wooden steps...  
  
"OW! Ow, gah! D'oh, ow, agh, ow, ow, OW!, ugh, ow, agh, fu-OW! eh, ow, gah, dammi-, OW, oof, gk, agh, g- OWWW!"  
  
The MP found Zack laying in a heap at the bottom of the steps a few minutes later when he caught back up. "Don't you think walking would have been a bit more effective?" he quipped, knowing full well that Zack could take much worse.  
  
"Shu'up and gimme a hand..." Zack muttered, raising his hand.  
  
The MP started clapping in response.  
  
Zack's hand stayed raised, but he formed it into a ball, turned it around and extended his middle finger. "That one's older than the ancients..."  
  
The MP finally took Zack's arm and helped him up, as Zack brushed himself off. He drank a healing potion for good measure, and looked around.  
  
They were in a place that seemed more like a cave than a basement. An eerie purple light which seemed to have no particular source was the only means of illumination for this dark cavern. The two walked forward, and stopped when they came to a door off to their left. Zack tried it, but it wouldn't budge. He could swear he almost heard a faint growl coming from within, but before he could investigate, the MP pointed out a light coming from beneath a second door a few feet away at the end of the "hall".  
  
Zack tried the door knob, but the door slowly swung open just as he touched it. Sephiroth was inside what appeared to be a laboratory, which branched off into a library. Sephiroth was pacing around inside, absorbed with a book he held in his hands. A few more were scattered about, making Zack wonder just how fast Sephiroth could read... he had only been down here a minute more than them, right? Sephiroth began dictating the contents aloud for some reason, catching Zack's attention.  
  
"...An apparently dead organism was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism, Jenova..."  
  
He stopped briefly to flip the page.  
  
"November third, 1970. Jenova confirmed to be an ancient." He paused again as he looked over at the next entry...  
  
"November 18th, 1970. 'JENOVA' confirmed to be an ancient. 'Jenova Project' aproved. Use of Mako Reactor Number one approved for use..."  
  
The older warrior paused, and started to walk down the hallway to the main library. He began breathing heavily for a moment, but recomposed himself before his two young charges could take notice. "... Jenova project... My mother's name was Jenova. Could this be a coincidence?"  
  
Something in Sephiroth's psyche told him no, and that there was more to this. Sephiroth began to shake his head in sadness... "Professor Gast.. why didn't you tell me anything?" he whispered to himself, "Why did you die?" Sephiroth bit his lip and repressed a tear in memory of the man who had been like a father to him, when neither of his parents had been present in his life. His mother had died when he was born, and what little he knew of her was told to him by Gast. And his father? Upon thinking about it, Sephiroth realized he either had no clue, or knew but did not want to face the awful truth.  
  
Though it seemed as if perhaps the "truth" was worse than he ever imagined. It was starting to appear as though his parents were present in this very lab. A bunch of test tubes. Could it be...?  
  
"Sephiroth?" Zack tried slowly, putting his hand on the general's arm lightly. However, something about Sephiroth began to scare the younger SOLDIER, and he withdrew his hand.  
  
"Leave me alone," Sephiroth requested.  
  
Zack looked over to the MP, who simply shrugged. Zack then glanced back at Sephiroth for a moment, and then proceeded to the exit, deciding to let the obviously troubled man have his wish, as it were.  
  
The two army men decided to head back to the inn for the night, but they were in for an unpleasant surprise.  
  
"Whaddya mean, 'No, we're not moving'?!" Zack blurted out.  
  
"We're not going anywhere, and neither are you until we know there's no danger," Tifa's father replied.  
  
"You had said it yourself, you believe Sephiroth has gone insane," Zangan pointed out. "We would like you to keep an eye on him."  
  
"Great..." Zack muttered with a hint of contempt.  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

_Zack impatiently paced back and forth in the darkened, dilapidated main bedroom of the Shinra mansion. Missing bits of wall paper created a strange pattern for one's eye to follow, or so Zack thought as he tried to spot all of the omitted pieces. He had to do so to keep himself from going insane of boredom. Sephiroth had confined himself to the basement, and the townsfolk refused to let either Zack or his companion to leave the ominous structure.  
  
The young SOLDIER finally resigned himself to sitting by the window. He saw that it was night now, and the people of Nibelheim had gone so far as to place a campfire near the main gate as several townsfolk Zack did not recognize guarded it. Suddenly, movement caught Zack's glowing dark blue eyes. Something was lurking in the shadows at the base of the house, prompting Zack to pick up his gigantic Buster Sword and investigate.  
  
Zack slowly crept outside, doing his best not to alarm the townsfolk. He looked off to the right, where he had seen the shadow before.  
  
"What is it with you SOLDIERs and large swords, anyway? What is it, a compensation thing?"  
  
Zack spun around towards the source of the voice, but did not raise his weapon, as he recognized the voice as belonging to...  
  
"Tifa!" Zack whispered in pleasant surprise. Tifa was dressed in black leggings and a dark green tee shirt, and had her hair tied back. The moonlight reflected off her skin nicely, almost giving her a divine glow. She also held a bag in one of her hands.  
  
"What's in there?" Zack asked, observing the bag.  
  
"Well, I felt bad for you and your friend," Tifa started, rummaging through the cloth container, "So I whipped you up some food. It's not much, but I didn't want my Dad to notice."  
  
Zack gave Tifa one of his trademark glowing smiles, and nodded in approval as he was given two bowls of pasta covered up in plastic wrap. Zack's mouth almost began to water at just the mere thought of food, but he decided it would not be the best show of class to drool excessively in front of a girl, for any reason.  
  
"Gosh, this is really nice of you!" Zack said tritely. "I'm sure me and C... uh, C.., Conner will enjoy this a lot!"  
  
Tifa gave Zack a suspicious stare in response. Why didn't he want to tell her the MP's real name?  
  
"So, Conner, that's his name?" the buxom girl asked slyly.  
  
"Uh, yeah!" Zack replied hesitantly. "Uh, so yeah, thanks! But, uh, you should get outta here, it probably wouldn't be too good if you were caught, y'know?"  
  
Tifa raised an eyebrow as Zack scratched his head. She looked at him for a long moment, but decided the older boy was right. She took a step over to Zack, got on her toes and placed her hand on Zack's strong, shapely shoulder for balance and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Be careful," she whispered.  
  
Zack smiled and nodded. Tifa took a few steps back, eyeing Zack the whole time. She slowly turned around and walked away, taking a look back every few moments until she reached the wall of the fence. She hopped up and looked to see if anyone was paying attention to her general vicinity. Satisfied that she was safe, she took one last look at Zack, who was still just standing where she had left him, still smiling. Tifa gave the young man a wink and disappeared behind the stone wall.  
  
Zack narrowed his eyes a bit as his grin broadened even further. He strutted all the way back into the mansion, up the stairs and into the room where the MP was keeping watch. His head perked up when the SOLDIER entered the room.  
  
"What's that?" the MP asked, seeing the plastic bowls behind Zack's back, which the SOLDIER was trying to hide.  
  
"Y'know, I was gonna surprise ya," Zack pretended to whine, "but ya had t' go ruin my fun! Anyway, here, we got us some food!" he concluded, handing the MP a bowl.  
  
The Generic-Henchman slowly unwrapped the plastic foil with suspicion. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, just to make sure.  
  
"Tifa made it for us," Zack replied matter-of-factly, having already begun eating. Tifa even had the mind to include a plastic fork in each bowl, for which the two young military men were thankful.  
  
"Tifa..." The MP whispered to himself in timidity. He looked down at the bowl of pasta in his hands, and almost decided that eating it would be an act of sacrilege.  
  
"Dude, just eat, would ya?" Zack said between bites. It was normal spaghetti with some kind of chopped-up, bacon-like meat mixed in with the sauce. Zack noticed his companion had let go of his hesitation and began eating as well.  
  
"Mm, this's good," the MP mumbled in astonishment while having a mouth full of food impairing his speech.  
  
Soon, the two were finished, and Zack took the MP's bowl.  
  
"What're ya gonna do, wash it?" The younger troop asked somewhat sarcastically.  
  
"No, I figure these are disposable..." Zack answered, looking down the hallway, "So we... DISPOSE OF THEM!" he yelled, chucking the two plastic containers down the hallway with as much force as he could muster. They bounced and ricocheted through the hall and down the stairs, and finally Zack's efforts were rewarded with a loud CRASH!  
  
"What the hell was that?!" The MP wondered aloud. Zack looked back at him and smiled mischievously as he left the room.  
  
The SOLDIER turned his head and looked down the steps, and indeed, his unseen, intended target had been destroyed. "That ugly vase at the base of the steps, is now an ugly pile of shards!" Zack proclaimed as he strut triumphantly back into the room.  
  
"You mean the 10th dynasty Wutian vase worth probably at least 10,000 gil?"  
  
"Yyyup!"  
  
"Kewl."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Zack replied, holding out his hand and inspecting his nails concededly. "Hey, listen, I'm gonna get me some shut-eye, okay?"  
  
"Sure," the MP replied with mild disinterest, picking up a comic book.  
  
As Zack strode off towards the other bedroom, the MP looked back over at the stone pillar. With a sigh of regret, he decided to check up on the General. He went over and pushed against the wall, opening the secret passage, and proceeded to carefully make his way down the broken and rotting wooden stairs.  
  
The young troop walked quietly, carefully, as to not alarm anything which might have been in the cave-like basement. He knew that only Sephiroth was down there, but he got the uneasy feeling that something else was present, and watching him. The MP shook his head, believing himself to be merely paranoid. But this did not stop him from breaking out into a jog all the way into the laboratory/library room.  
  
Sephiroth was leaning over the lab table, digesting the contents of several note books all at once. Yet however involved Sephiroth was in his reading, he was still not surprised when the MP spoke.  
  
"Uhm, sir, you need anything...?"  
  
"No," The General stated flatly, a hint of anger present in his voice. He paused, blinked and then recomposed himself. He stood up straight and looked at the MP. "I mean, 'No thank you'. I apologize for my behavior..." The legendary SOLDIER admitted humbly. "I just... I am not well," Sephiroth confided, shaking his head.  
  
"It- it's okay, sir..." The MP replied hesitantly, not sure what to make of this.  
  
After a few tense, silent moments, Sephiroth changed the subject. "What was that noise I heard before... It sounded like something broke?"  
  
The MP was shocked that Sephiroth had been able to hear that. HE had barely heard it himself!  
  
"Zack was vandalizing the place, sir."  
  
"Ah, so I see," Sephiroth responded. He blinked slowly, and his features seemed to darken a bit. "Typical human behavior. Not giving a care for your environment nor the forces which shaped it," Sephiroth began to raise his voice, "No respect for the accomplishments of those long past, just selfishness and greed giving way to anarchy and chaos..."  
  
Sephiroth had begun to trail off near the end of his rant, and regained control. He gave the MP a look with so many mixed and conflicting emotions that he didn't know what to think. The MP simply gave a weak salute and nervously trekked back out the door, keeping an eye on Sephiroth until he was -thankfully- out of sight.  
  
Zack awoke sometime later. He hadn't slept long, and he knew it wasn't quite morning yet. With a yawn, he peeled himself off the soiled, torn mattress he called a bed and stretched his body out. Scratching himself, the young SOLDIER walked over to where the MP had stationed himself.  
  
"Wussup?" Zack asked.  
  
"I dunno. Sephiroth seems different..." The MP replied. Zack shrugged and went over to the secret door. "Be careful, Zack," The MP warned.  
  
"Why's everyone always tellin' me to be careful?" Zack muttered, making his way down the spiral steps.  
  
Zack too had the feeling of dread as he passed through the violet colored hallway, and he could have sworn again he heard some kind of growl... But he saw nothing. He proceeded into the lab, only to find mountains of books everywhere. He looked down the hallway into the library. Almost every book had been removed from the shelves, and some remained open at the bases of stacks. He saw Sephiroth sitting behind a desk in the middle of the library area, which was simply an octagon shaped room full of shelves for books. Many such books were strewn all about. Zack's heart inexplicably began to beat faster with each step he took, until he was right in front of the desk.  
  
Sephiroth slowly looked up from a tome he was reading and closed it silently. When he spoke, his voice almost started to sound like gravel, and it had echoed through the chamber as he said, "Who is it?"  
  
Zack was taken aback by the apparent force Sephiroth's voice possessed, not to mention that Sephiroth should have known who he was by now. But before he could answer...  
  
"Hmph, traitor."  
  
"Traitor?" Zack questioned.  
  
Sephiroth seemed unamused by Zack's response.  
  
"You ignorant traitor, I'll tell you!" Sephiroth growled, standing up. "This Planet originally belonged to the Cetra. Cetra was an itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the planet then move on... At the end of their hard, long journey, it was said they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness," he explained. He walked closer to Zack and continued.  
  
"But, those who disliked journeying appeared. They stopped their migrations, built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the Planet had made without giving back one whit in return!" With that, he pointed an accusatory finger at Zack, "Those are YOUR ancestors."  
  
"Sephiroth," Zack tried, but he was interrupted...  
  
"Long ago, disaster struck the planet. Your ancestors escaped because they hid," The General explained, seeming to grow angrier by the moment, all while coming around the table, "The planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to multiply. Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports!" He said, slamming his hand down on an old book, conjuring up a cloud of dust.  
  
"What.. -cough- What does that have to do with you?" Zack asked, growing both impatient and scared.  
  
Sephiroth glared at Zack for a moment before responding. "Don't you see? An ancient named Jenova was found in a 2000 year old geologic stratum."  
  
Zack just looked at him blankly.  
  
"The Jenova Project," Sephiroth offered as an explanation. Sephiroth then remembered that Zack was the least likely person to be able to read one's mind, so he clarified. "The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with the powers of the ancients, or, the Cetra. I am what was produced."  
  
"Pr-produced?!" Zack practically yelled in disbelief.  
  
"Yes," Sephiroth said with a nod. "Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me."  
  
Zack stood in shock, unable to comprehend what he was being told. There had to be a hole in Sephiroth's logic somewhere.  
  
"Wwaait, how did he.." but Zack was cut off.  
  
"Out of my way!" Sephiroth demanded, shoving Zack to the ground. "I'm going to see my mother!" he proclaimed slowly -yet loudly- all at once. He strode out of the library, a blank look in his glowing emerald eyes. Zack tried to get up, but Sephiroth had done something... hit a pressure point or cast a spell, Zack couldn't tell. All Zack knew was that his inner fear was welting up inside of him, his heart beating faster by the moment...  
  
And all he could do was sit there.  
  
By the time Zack was able to move again, it was too late. He charged out of the mansion, yelling Sephiroth's name, but all he could see were the flames. Giant flames were everywhere, engulfing every single building in the once-proud town. Bodies lay strewn about, but no blood, as it was being evaporated by the intense heat. Suddenly, a voice called out to Zack...  
  
"Hey you!" It was Zangan, pulling the general store manager to safety. His legs had been shattered, and a large piece of still-burning wood was imbedded in his upper chest, though oddly, he was still alive. Zangan removed the stick swiftly, then turned back to Zack.  
  
"You're still sane, aren't you?!" Zangan called out. Zack nodded.  
  
"The come over here and help me! I'll check this house, you check that one!" He commanded, charging into the burning Inn. Zack had no choice. He wanted to find Sephiroth, but saving lives came first. Zack charged into a small house, but as he did so, the roof collapsed, creating a large explosion. Zack thought he heard a woman's voice scream out, but it was cut short. Zack stepped out of what remained of the small abode and noticed the sign near the door...  
  
"Strife"  
  
Zack looked down and shook his head, knowing that to be the last name of his friend Cloud. Speaking of friends, he saw the MP on the ground, fighting for life a few meters away. Anger and sadness built up inside of Zack's increasingly heavy heart. But he was snapped out of his sadness by the sounds of battle.  
  
Or rather, slaughter. A few men had cornered Sephiroth, not knowing that THEY were the ones trapped. The SOLDIER attacked with an upward slash on one, exposing all his vitals, killing him instantly. Before the other man could react, Sephiroth turned to him and brought his Masamune down onto the dead center of the man's skull. He convulsed before collapsing into a heap.  
  
"SEPHIROTH!" Zack yelled out. The man simply looked up at the younger SOLDIER and walked away, right into a wall of flame which did him no harm whatsoever.  
  
Zack fell to his knees as fire engulfed the town, embers flying up into and lighting up the dark summer sky. The sounds of buildings collapsing and people screaming in pain were nulled by the sounds of crushed dreams, destroyed hopes, and the cries of sadness from such a gruesome betrayal...  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

The small, old fashioned bar Seventh Heaven was full of silence, a strange phenomenon for such a place. Today, however, a story was being told which could only draw shock, disbelief and the shaking heads from those who listened to it.  
  
"I'm not too sure what happened next," Zack explained after taking a swig of ale. "I remember chasing Sephiroth through the mountains... But he was too far ahead and walked faster than I could bring myself to run. But I knew where he was headed..."  
  
"The reactor," Tifa interrupted. "My father and I had taken refuge there when Sephiroth attacked the town, b-but..." Tifa stopped and shook her head, a tear beginning to form in her eye in memory of those awful events.  
  
"So what happened?" Johnny asked eagerly, practically begging to hear more.  
  
Zack nodded and continued, though now he was situated against the wall so he could face everybody while he told his tale.  
  
_Zack put on an extra burst of speed as the reactor came into view from behind the mountain. Not so much because he was that much desperate to confront Sephiroth, but because he heard a scream...  
  
Tifa's scream.  
  
The young SOLDIER wasted no time maneuvering past the makeshift bridge which had cause him a bit of anxiety the first time he was in here. He took long, uncaring steps past the wooden planks and made a daring leap to the ladder, which he slid down instead of climbing. He went to cross the large pipe which connected the entrance to the reactor when he was paused by the horrendous sight.  
  
Tifa was on her knees, ironically wearing the same outfit she had when she first took Zack and Sephiroth here. She was shaking, obviously in shock, which she had good reason to be in. Her father was sprawled on the ground, his joints forced backwards and his head twisted a full 180 degrees. A large sword wound in the shape of an "X" was present from his shoulders to his thighs, with the large Masamune blade sticking up straight through the middle. It was a wonder he was still in one piece. Blood still flowed from his dead body, as if attempting to escape into the glowing Mako pit below.  
  
Tifa started to stir from her shock, and Zack could only bear witness as the obvious facts began to hit her. Anger welt up inside of her as if fueled by pumps and turbines. "D-daddy?" She tried, hoping beyond hope there might be some way that he could consol her with some parting words, but none came. The anger finally overcame the young girl as she began to bow her head, shaking it as well. "Mako Reactors, Shinra, SOLDIER, Sephiroth..." The girl began to tighten and shake her fists, and threw her head in the air. "I HATE THEM ALL!"  
  
With that, she grabbed the Masamune and pulled it out from her father's body. The long blade felt awkward in her hands, but she found that it was surprisingly light enough to carry with one hand. She charged into the pod chamber, completely unaware that Zack was right behind her the whole time.  
  
Zack put on a burst of speed to catch up to Tifa, knowing that she was no match for the legendary warrior. She was already charging up the steps...  
  
Sephiroth was at the top of the stairs, in front of the JENOVA chamber, his arms outspread as if performing some kind of prayer. "Mother, I am here to see you. Please, open this door..." But he found himself cut off.  
  
"How could you do that to Papa and all the townspeople?!" Tifa cried out, not fighting back the tears that streamed down her face. She was charging up the steps, ready to decapitate the long haired general. But without missing a beat, Sephiroth spun and grabbed the handle before the blade could make contact.  
  
The two fought over the sword, jerking it back and forth. Sephiroth used his height to his advantage, and pulled up on the weapon. Tifa was practically yanked off the ground, and instinctively, foolishly, let go of the fabled blade. She managed to take a few steps back and hold her hands over her head as Sephiroth brought the Masamune down upon her. It missed her arms, but cut into her chest. The blade continued unabated down between her breasts and stopped at about her fourth rib, drawing a good amount of blood, though less than one would expect. The force of the initial blow was enough to push Tifa out of the way at it connected, and by the time Sephiroth had finished his swing, Tifa was already airborne.  
  
She came down several steps below Sephiroth, and bounced, breaking a few of her ribs. Once she hit the ground a second time, her head collided with the corner of one of the red metal stairs, drawing more blood and causing her head to bounce back and forth violently as she slid all the way back down to the base of the steps.  
  
Sephiroth looked down at the buxom young girl, who was no longer moving. He admired the fact that she had not screamed in pain the whole time. She would have made a great SOLDIER, or so the General thought. He turned around without further regard for the girl, and without reason, the door had opened. He simply waltzed in.  
  
Zack had run in just as Tifa was hit, and could only bear witness as her life seemed to be snuffed out like a weak flame against a waterfall. Zack glared up in anger at his former idol, who paid him no heed. The younger SOLDIER had sprint up the steps, practically ignoring Tifa. She was too wounded, he could not help her. He was a fighter, not a doctor. He killed people, not saved them.  
  
And killing was just what was on his mind.  
  
Zack entered a large, darkened room. There were large oxygen tanks on either side, and a large pipe leading up to some kind of angel-shaped robot. Sephiroth stood at the base of this large pipe, and started walking up on it. He had held out his arms, and began speaking, apparently to no one in particular.  
  
"Mother," Sephiroth began, a strange empty tone in his voice, "Let's take the planet back together. I've thought of a great idea, let's go to the Promised land!"  
  
"Sephiroth!" Zack yelled out angrily, unsheathing his gigantic Buster Sword. Sephiroth slowly lowered his arms, apparently in annoyance. However, he then began to laugh...  
  
"Ha, ha, ha! They've come again, mother!" he spoke to the thing in front of him. He then started speaking as if to Zack, "With her superior power, knowledge and magic, Mother was destined to be ruler of this planet!" Sephiroth then began to speak as if to no one in particular. "But they... those worthless creatures, " he spat, "are stealing the planet from Mother." He proceeded up the large pipe and up to the mechanical angel, and looked it lovingly in the face, "But now I'm here with you, so don't worry."  
  
Sephiroth held the angel for a moment, but then griped it harder, beginning to shake it. Sparks flew as the machine resisted its destruction, but it was no use. Swaying left and right, Sephiroth loosened the thing and ripped it from its base, causing oil to bleed out its artificial eyes and mouth. One of the "wings" was separated and crashed down onto the ground. The rest was discarded carelessly to the other side. Sephiroth's eyes went wide in anticipation as blue emergency lights filled the room, and the true Jenova was seen held inside a large tank.  
  
Jenova had a rather feminine look, despite the tentacles and external organs which could not easily be identified off-hand. Large veins for pumping thick black blood had shown through the monster's blue skin. It also had what appeared to be wings, and was in a position akin to being tied up. It also had strapped to its head some kind of mechanical helmet. On the front of this helmet, the word "JENOVA" was proudly displayed, along with some illegible copyright information below it.  
  
"DAMMIT SEPHIROTH! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zack yelled out in anger.  
  
Sephiroth slowly turned around and unsheathed his Masamune.  
  
"What am I doing?! I am the Chosen one, you fool! I have been chosen to be the leader of this planet!" He said with wide, maniacal eyes. He slowly held his sword with both hands, ready to attack, "I have orders to take the planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra..."  
  
"The only 'stupid people' here is you, Sephiroth! Listen to what you're saying! I mean, that ass-ugly thing can't possibly be your mom!" Zack retorted._  
  
Zack scratched his head, unsure what to say next.  
  
"What, what happened?!" Dyne asked.  
  
"I... I'm not sure. Everything else after that is a blur. The next thing I knew, I was lying face-up on top of one of those Pod-thingies, and I hurt all over. I guess I pissed him off too much."  
  
"Zangan had come to get me..." Tifa explained "But he told me I was laid carefully to the side, and that the MP was in the reactor, too.. but he was all but dead."  
  
"Zangan?" Zack asked.  
  
"Yeah," Tifa said with a nod, her short hair bobbing slightly. "By the time he got there, we were all out of commission. He took me out of the reactor, but..."  
  
_Zangan looked up into the side, the young girl almost dead in his arms. Several Shinra helicopters were headed his way, and he had no intention of letting the Shinra touch his student. He hid behind the reactor, knowing that he was wasting time here. Tifa needed immediate medical attention, more than his Cure spells could do.  
  
The helicopters touched down, creating large clouds of dust which scattered all over. SOLDIERS piled out of each aircraft, along with an oily haired scientist.  
  
"Hojo, sir..." One of the SOLDIERs came up to the scientist and said, saluting, "What are our orders?"  
  
"Find any survivors and bring them to town for the experiment, and keep a lookout for Sephiroth. His transmitter may have gone dead, but that doesn't mean that he is."  
  
"Yessir," The SOLDIER replied, saluting once more.  
  
After all the SOLDIERs had gone into the reactor, Zangan made a break for it. "It" being one of the helicopters. He quickly piled inside, catching the pilot's attention.  
  
"Hey, who the fuckin' hell are you?!" The blonde haired pilot yelled in surprise, dropping a cigarette out of his mouth. He instinctively drew a gun and pointed it at the intruder. Zangan quickly kicked theweapon out of the younger man's hand, catching it while still holding Tifa.  
  
"Fly. NOW!" Zangan demanded. The pilot gulped, and reluctantly fiddled with the controls until the helicopter raised itself from the ground._  
  
"The pilot took us to Costa Del Sol... At least, that's what Zangan had told me. From there, we kept hitching rides to Midgar... though I was unconscious the whole time. Zangan kept using Cure spells on me until we made it here, to Midgar..."  
  
"Hey, who's telling this story?!" Zack whined.  
  
Tifa gave Zack a sour expression, but nodded her head and apologized.  
  
"S'all right," Zack reassured her. "Anyway.."  
  
_"Zack? Hey Zack, you okay man?"  
  
"Mrmm?"  
  
Zack opened his eyes... everything was a bit blurry... and upside down... though a familiar patch of bright blonde spiky hair presented itself.  
  
"Cloud?" Zack said weakly.  
  
"Yeah, it's me. Listen, that maniac Hojo wants you for some experiment, but I'm gonna get you outta here... Can you walk?"  
  
Zack strained his arms and peeled himself off the container, and hopped down. His legs still seemed to work, as he didn't automatically fall onto his face. But he was feeling more pain than he ever had in his entire life.  
  
"Dude... your town... Tifa... I... I couldn't... I'm sorry..."  
  
Cloud remained silent as he supported Zack with his shoulder. He couldn't exactly say it was okay, but he knew that Zack had done his best. The slightly younger SOLDIER carried his friend out of the chamber and into the pipe room, where only Hojo stood.  
  
"Going somewhere?" the scientist snarled.  
  
"Uh, you said to take everyone back to town..." Cloud tried, but to no avail.  
  
"Don't give me that," Hojo said, producing a gun. Before Cloud could react, he took a bullet to the chest. He dropped Zack on accident, and fell to his knees. More shots came, Cloud jerking and contorting with each hit. Blood poured out as Cloud could only look down at himself, mouth agape, as everything went dark..._  
  
Everyone was staring at Zack with a less than amused face.  
  
"W, what?" he asked.  
  
"So... Hojo just took a gun out for no reason and shot Cloud?" Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"And there were no other SOLDIERs around?" Dyne questioned, growing a tad suspicious.  
  
"Well I..."  
  
"And is this the uniform he was wearing at the time?" Johnny asked, pointing at the now near-comatose Cloud and his non-bullet ridden outfit. "Or did he manage to change while he was unconscious?"  
  
"Okay, okay, look... I.. I don't remember it all that well, okay?" Zack bluffed, "All I know is that for the next five years, Cloud and me spent most of our time in a bunch of tubes, constantly being experimented on... One day, we managed to escape during feeding time. But Cloud couldn't really move, so it took us a while to make it back here."  
  
"And, why here?" Dyne asked.  
  
"Well, I figured with our brains and skills, we could become mercenaries!" Zack replied, grabbing Cloud by the shoulder and pulling him over to himself playfully.  
  
Cloud simply groaned.  
  
Dyne thought this over, and simply nodded. He stood up and stretched for a moment, and looked to his men. "Well okay. Johnny?"  
  
"Yessir?" The red haired punker responded.  
  
"Take Cloud to Beginner's Inn, and have Dox take a look at him. Biggs, Wedge, take Zack and show him around..." Dyne paused and looked to Zack, "That is... If it's okay with you... You're staying, right?"  
  
"Well, I didn't tell you this story for nuttin..." Zack admitted. "I'm not 100 sure about this... thing going on here. But what the hell, right?" Zack replied with a smile.  
  
Dyne smiled back and nodded. Several people got up and left. Johnny picked up Cloud, who tried walking himself, but to no avail. The two other men Dyne addressed stood up next to Zack and followed him out the door. Dyne sat back down as the rest of the crowd dispersed.  
  
It was then just Dyne and Tifa sitting at the half-table for a few long, silent moments. When they were sure no one else was around, the began their little conference.  
  
"Well?" Dyne started. "What do you think? Does his story check out?"  
  
Tifa thought it over for a minute before answering. "There are a few... discrepancies and exaggerations... but that's Zack for you."  
  
"That last part sounded like he was making it up out of his ass as he went along, " Dyne replied candidly, "Should we be suspicious?" he finished, starting to polish his gun-arm.  
  
"Hmmm," Tifa put her hand to her chin, but then put her hand back on the table. "I don't know. There's all sorts of possibilities. If Shinra was trying to infiltrate us..."  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time..." Dyne concluded. "But by the same token, this would also be way too obvious. I mean, TWO SOLDIERS? Both of whom are old friends of my top lieutenant?"  
  
"There's too many coincidences going on," Tifa said, shaking her head. "Well, like I just said, this could be anything..."  
  
"All ranging from them being legit to them planning to kill us all by tomorrow."  
  
The two AVALANCHE leaders sat in silence, both contemplating every possibility they could think of.  
  
Finally Dyne stood up again. "Well, I say, for now, we trust them... on the surface. I want at least two people watching both of them at all times... but other than that, we treat them like any other members."  
  
"What about tomorrow's plan?" Tifa asked.  
  
"We let them in on it, of course. If Shinra gets wind of it before we do anything, we'll know where the leak came from. If it all goes off without a hitch... it means they're for real or just being careful and biding their time."  
  
Dyne exited the bar without another word, thinking of a thousand different things all going in thousands of different directions all at once. Tifa just sat by herself, contemplating about just one little thing...


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

"Biggs..." Zack said experimentally, pointing to the 18-year-old espionage agent. The young dark brown haired man nodded as way of an answer. "Wedge," Zack then said, pointing to the heavy-set, slightly older infantryman.  
  
Wedge nodded as the trio walked amid piles of debris which served as homes to the residents of the Slums. Zack raised an eyebrow humorously.  
  
"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, your name would be easier to remember if it were 'Biggs'... cuz... y'know..." Zack asked Wedge pointedly, motioning to his stomach. Wedge gave Zack a cold stare, but didn't say anything.  
  
Biggs nudged Zack somewhat roughly, though the tall, slightly older SOLDIER seemed not to notice. "Dude, lay off, he's been dealing with that crap his whole life, give it a rest," Biggs warned defensively.  
  
"It's okay, I can take care of myself," Wedge said unconvincingly before Zack could respond.  
  
Zack simply smiled and glared down at Wedge, who actually was actually not all that tall, about 5 and a half feet at the most was Zack's estimate. "So come on then," Zack proclaimed as a challenge, "Defend yourself."  
  
The trio kept walking, though Biggs and Wedge's eyes went wide.  
  
"What, you wanna fight me?" Wedge asked nervously. He noticed Zack made no move for his sword, and his hands were in his pockets. Even a SOLDIER could not defend themselves like that.  
  
"Well, I meant like... insult me back," Zack explained.  
  
'I... I'm not very good at insults..." Wedge replied, lowering his head.  
  
Zack stopped suddenly, looking at Wedge with confused eyes.  
  
"You mean to tell me that people have been calling you 'lunchbox' and 'tubba-wubba' your whole life, and you haven't picked up any good counter-jabs?"  
  
Wedge just looked at the slightly older man, wearing a sad, lost expression that belayed his thoughts.  
  
"Well cripes, man!" Zack said almost excitedly, throwing his hands up. He slapped Wedge hard on the shoulder, and brought him in close. Biggs watched in amusement while leaning against a large cement block. "Here's what I'm gonna do for ya..." Zack started, "I'm gonna teach you to be a lean, mean, dissin machine! Well, mean at least... 'lean' you'll have to work on on your own," he finished, poking Wedge in the gut.  
  
"Stop that," Wedge mumbled softly, as if already conceding defeat.  
  
Zack rolled his eyes. "C'mon man, you gotta do better than that! Try... Hmm, okay, momma jokes are cheap, but they're effective. Or if you can find some part of the disser that they may be just as self-conscious about, point it out."  
  
Wedge scratched his head in response. "Well, what about a guy like you? You're perfect..."  
  
"See, there's your problem. You assume that just because I'm good looking, I'm perfect. Well, what else have you noticed?"  
  
Biggs decided to interject. "You're a jerk!"  
  
"Exactly!" Zack admitted adamantly, pointing at the lean young man.  
  
"How's that help me?" Wedge asked, noticing he was still in Zack's grasp.  
  
"Well, call me a jerk or something."  
  
"Okay... uh, you're a uhm, jerk."  
  
Zack slipped his arm off of Wedge and looked at him disappointedly. He resorted to shaking his black, spiky head. "This is gonna take some work," he admitted, putting his hand to his head.  
  
Elsewhere in the slums, Cloud found himself laying on a bed... a very basic, uncomfortable bed as far as beds went.. but still better than anything he'd slept on in the past few weeks. Still, sleep wasn't on his agenda right now. While he could barely comprehend the world around him, he could tell he was being looked over by some kind of doctor. It was hard to tell, as the room he was in was barely lit.  
  
Dox was a taller man, lean with only a subtle hint of muscle. He had slicked back, short gray hair along with a neatly groomed beard which covered his chiseled chin. He wore average clothing: A button down shirt along with a fake animal skin vest and black trousers. The only thing identifying him as a doctor was a cloth patch with a red cross on his right arm and a stethoscope around his neck. He studied his patient for a few minutes, trying to ascertain his average heart and breathing rates. The doctor took Cloud's temperature, a blood sample for study later, and checked for head injuries.  
  
The strange thing was, at face value, the young blonde haired SOLDIER was in perfect health. Dox then remembered Johnny telling him that Cloud had allegedly been shot a few years ago. Dox felt around Cloud's uniform for some kind of zipper or other release mechanism. He found one in the back and proceeded to peel the SOLDIER armor off the young man. What seemed like leather was way too heavy to be such, and seemed to have kelvar links sewn into several horizontal rows inside the top.  
  
However, a greater surprise awaited Dox as he examined Cloud's chest. Most gunshot wounds leave a circular mark. Granted, extra damaged tissue and whatnot could have been damaged, or perhaps healed wrong resulting in odd-shaped scars... but no gunshot wound could of created what Dox saw on Cloud's chest.  
  
"A SWORD wound?" Dyne cried out in surprise.  
  
Dyne and Tifa were standing behind Dox, who was sitting in a chair overlooking Cloud. The older man simply nodded.  
  
"Allow me to explain," he started, "This wound is over five inches long, going up and down. However, it's less than an inch across. There's a slightly smaller, yet similar wound on his back, as though the weapon had gone almost all the way through him. No gun in the world could produce such a phenomenon. If anything, the exit would would have been bigger, never mind that the bullet would have to be... well, the size of a sword."  
  
Tifa thought this over for a moment. "So... there's no chance of it being a bullet wound? What if that professor guy... I forget his name... opened Cloud up, removed the bullet and closed him back up? That would make an incision like that, right?"  
  
"Perhaps..." Dox admitted, "But there's no evidence of stitches, and no evidence of a bullet ever entering his body. Granted, I haven't preformed any... invasive procedures to see if a bullet was actually in there, but otherwise, I'm pretty sure it was a sword."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense!" Tifa tried, "That reactor was full of SOLDIERs, and I'm sure that scientist guy couldn't use a sword... I mean, have you seen a SOLDIER's sword? They're bigger than my waist!"  
  
"Tifa, calm yourself..." Dyne requested. "It's not like he's implicating Zack.." Dyne thought about that for a moment, "Are you?"  
  
"You both realize that you're not making any sense?" Dox interjected. "Anyway, no, no average SOLDIER sword could make a wound this, ah, small. Relatively speaking, of course." He paused to let that sink in for a moment. "Save one. Sephiroth supposedly possessed a thin, long sword."  
  
Tifa blinked. "Ye... yeah, yes! So then... uhm... Wait, no."  
  
"What?" Dyne asked.  
  
"The SOLDIERS arrived after Sephiroth was gone," Tifa explained.  
  
Dyne put his good hand to his chin, then ran it through his short, dark blue hair. "Well, Dox, all I can say is try and get him better... maybe he can give us his little piece of this... well, what's turning into a puzzle." He then turned to Tifa. "Anyway, where's Zack now?"  
  
"Uhm," Tifa had to think about it for a second, "Still walking around with Biggs and Wedge I think. You wanna try and get he truth outta him?"  
  
"No... no. He might of been mistaken, or if he IS lying, he might have his reasons, and they may not be all that malicious. No, I think we should just tell him about tomorrow's plan... get his input, see if he wants to help out."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Of course. When have I ever been wrong?" was Dyne's coy reply.  
  
"Well, there was the time you wanted us to use trains as mobile bombs..."  
  
"er, yeah..."  
  
"Oh..." Dox piped in, "And what about your infamous 'balloon bomb' plan? Too bad the plate was in the way..."  
  
"Well, you see, that.. "  
  
Tifa put on a smile and interrupted her leader once more, "Or the time we marched right up to the Shinra building to demand an audience with the President and what happened... Oh yeah, that's right, they were CLOSED for a holiday!"  
  
Tifa and Dox broke out into a fit of giggles as Dyne maintained his composure. "Well, I'm never wrong about people," he stated flatly, shoving his good hand into his pocket. Tifa and Dox finally managed to settle down, prompting Dox to stand.  
  
"Listen, I've gotta go get some books and do some research," Dox started, while stretching, "Maybe help me to better understand what's wrong with this boy."  
  
"Is it okay if I stay with him, Dox?" Tifa asked.  
  
"It shouldn't hurt," Dox said with a smile. "In fact, if you could be a dear and write down if something significant happens, I'd appreciate it!"  
  
"Will do." Tifa replied, returning the smile. Dyne and Dox then turned to leave, heading out the door and down the ladder of the large, red building. They entered the second floor training facility...  
  
It wasn't a very large place, but it was efficient. It looked like some sort of psuedo gymnasium, with punching bags, rubber floor mats, and exercise equipment. It was referred to as "Beginners hall", as this was where new recruits were trained. The place was empty, devoid of any activity. AVALANCHE had not made many new members in recent months, and also, more advanced facilities could be found elsewhere.  
  
The duo continued down the freshly installed wooden stairs to a small shop which was really a cover for a weapons depository. The shopkeepers nodded a fond hello to Dyne, which he returned in kind.  
  
"You know..." Dyne started, "This is the happiest I've seen Tifa in recent memory..."  
  
There was a silence as the two made their way slowly to the 7th Heaven Bar.  
  
"Do you think that's because she's been reunited with a few old friends?" Dox asked, almost rhetorically.  
  
"Maybe... I don't know. She certainly seems happier around... uhm, the kid with the blonde hair up there... than she does around Zack. And near as I can tell, there WAS something between those two, whether they want to admit it or not... So I'm not sure why she's not so thrilled to see Zack."  
  
"Well, you did say she had blurted out an accusation of some sort..." Dox responded.  
  
"Yes. She claims he had left her to die." Dyne said slowly.  
  
"But her memories of the time are no more accurate than Zack's. Besides, what was he able to do? She had been stabbed by the worlds greatest warrior, the fact that she's alive is almost paradoxal." Dox pointed out.  
  
Dyne raised an eyebrow. "How do you know so much about this?"  
  
"I was listening in. I'm more than just a doctor, remember?"  
  
"Ah," was Dyne's simple reply.  
  
Once inside the bar, Dox proceeded into the back, and pressed an otherwise nonchalant brick in the wall. A large refrigerator slid to the side, revealing a passageway into AVALANCHE's computer library, Dox's destination. The girl Jessie was in there, typing away at a station in the corner. She noticed Dox enter and waved to him.  
  
"Hello, Jessie!" Dox said over-adamantly. He took a seat at the closest terminal and started his search...  
  
Dyne meanwhile sat at the semi-circular table, and went deep into thought. He was not the kind of man who let minor details or otherwise useless bits of information escape him. He always tried to see every possible eventuality, analyze every bit of data as his disposal, try to see what others could not. It was part of what made him a good leader, the fact that he seemed almost psychic. Dyne dismissed that possibility due to lack of evidence, and humbly maintained that he was just a genius and good with people. And yes, he did see the humor in that.  
  
He didn't know how long he was in his trance, and information raced through his mind, trying to determine Zack allegiance, Tifa's feelings, Shinra's latest plans and counter-plans, a perfect pie recipe... but soon he found himself interrupted by laughter that increased in volume as three bodies wandered into the bar...  
  
It was Zack, Biggs, and Wedge.  
  
"Heh heh.. S-Say it again, Zack!" Wedge pleaded.  
  
Zack groaned and rolled his eyes, but did so playfully. "Okay..." Zack cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his voice sounded quite a bit like Tifa's, "I'm not a tease, really! Bouncy bouncy bouncy!"  
  
Wedge cracked up again. Biggs on the other hand felt the joke lost something the fifth time around, though he still let out a chuckle.  
  
"AHEM."  
  
The three men's heads snapped in the direction of the disturbance. It was Dyne, who they hadn't noticed was present. "I don't appreciate you poking fun at my top lieutenant..."  
  
"Why, afraid we might pop those balloons tapped to her chest?" Zack quipped  
  
"Huh?" Dyne replied.  
  
"You know, when you poke a balloon, it can pop... and Tifa has big... ah, forget it," Zack tried, though finally realizing the futility of explaining the joke.  
  
"Yes... anyways," Dyne started to say, standing up, "Biggs. Wedge. Occupy yourselves elsewhere, I need to talk to Zack."  
  
The two young men nodded their heads and left the bar. Zack looked back at them, then to Dyne.  
  
"Whassup?"  
  
"Sit," Dyne offered, leveling his gun arm at the chair adjacent to his, as if pointing at it. Zack shrugged and plopped himself down.  
  
Dyne lowered himself onto his own chair, making sure he was comfortable. He gave Zack a long, hard stare, devoid of emotion or thought. Zack just looked back, confused. After about a minute, Dyne conceded that Zack was either a very hard person to read, or that there was no mind to read behind those glowing, dark blue eyes.  
  
"I'm going to be frank..." Dyne started...  
  
"Hi, Frank!" Zack interrupted.  
  
"..." Dyne repressed the urge to laugh, and attempted to recompose himself. "That's not what I meant."  
  
"I know, I'm just playin'."  
  
"This isn't a game."  
  
"And that's not a comeback," Zack pointed out,  
  
Dyne paused, then shook his head. "Can't you be serious for five seconds?"  
  
"Mmm, let's find out. One. Two. Three. F... BLAAHH!!" And with that, Zack stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes. "Shit. Guess not, sorry!"  
  
Dyne fought a losing battle against the smile forming on his face. He slowly shook his head again until he could regain control, and then looked back to Zack. "Okay, listen. We've got an operation going down tomorrow. Most of it is planned out, but I think I'll need your help filling in the gaps."  
  
"Oh?" Zack said with growing interest. "What're y... WE doing?"  
  
"We're going up top to protest the use of Mako reactors. We've got evidence that the radiation produces monsters. Your story of five years ago confirms and elaborates things Tifa heard about... incriminating things..."  
  
"Oh, I get it!" Zack replied ecstatically, "If you have a Shinra SOLDIER backing up your claims, the people will have to believe you!"  
  
"Mmm, no," Dyne replied, "Not exactly. You see, what better time than during a protest of Mako reactors, than for one to blow up?"  
  
"Hmm. You're right. But how do you know when a reactor's gonna blow up? That's not even supposed to happen..." Zack pointed out.  
  
"Please tell me you're joking?"  
  
"uhm... No, I... Oh, wait I get... Oooooohhhhhhhhhh. Just one question."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"What about civilians? Won't they be hurt?"  
  
"No, we're triple checking the reactor plans and bombs now. It'll seem like an interior explosion... some live Mako may escape into the streets, but it's not like the whole thing will explode and send debris everywhere."  
  
"Oh, okay.. but, won't people like, KNOW it's you guys?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Well, thin about it. You'd be going around saying 'Mako reactors are unstable, blah blah blah' then BOOM the reactor explodes and you're all like 'see, see?' and people aren't going to think you had something to do with it?"  
  
Dyne's eyes widened at these words. He remained silent for a minute as his mind began to calculate that very possibility. "Zack... you're right... heaven help me, you're right! You've got a great head on your shoulders, you know that?"  
  
"Aww, shucks!" Zack responded, pretending to blush and giving a wave of his hand. "So, now what? I mean, you're not still going to go through with it..."  
  
"No, we have to. Too much has been invested in this plan... but we'll skip part 'A". We'll simply head in and assist with the relief effort, THEN verbally bash the reactors. That'll work much better."  
  
"Huh... if you say so. So what's my part?"  
  
"You're going into Reactor 1 with Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and myself. You'll use your knowledge of the reactor's layout and fighting skills to assist in the operation... you DO know the inside of a Mako reactor, right?"  
  
"Hells yeah!" Zack responded, almost insulted. "Me and my buddies would sneak in there after hours in SOLDIER training to goof off and shit!"  
  
"Well, great!" Dyne replied, standing up. "We'll be doing this early in the morning, so you should get your rest now..."  
  
"I could use it," Zack said with a groan, picking himself up. He went to walk to the door when something caught his foot. Without thinking, he yanked his foot back towards himself. His boot had gotten caught by a nail that stuck out of the middle leg of the table. The force of him yanking his leg ripped the table leg from its hinges. As Zack stumbled, the table fell forward, the other two legs no longer able to support it. The table crashed into the ground and broke into a few pieces with an unusually loud CRASH. Dyne stumbled back away from the table as it had fallen, and looked at its ruins with dismay.  
  
"That was my favorite table..." Dyne lamented.  
  
"Uh, um, sorry..." Zack managed to spit out.  
  
"It's no big. Let me show you to your new home..." Dyne replied as the two men walked out the door.  
  
The stars above Midgar could not be seen with the naked eye. Ambient lights of both buildings and the Mako reactors made it impossible to see the sky at night...  
  
Unless you happen to be in the Shinra building, anywhere above the 30th floor, at least. It was on one such floor, the 57th, where the sound had come from. A sound not at all uncommon during business hours, but very rare late at night. The sound of a Fax machine's ink cartridge sliding back and forth, its mechanical whirl echoing through the halls. The fax machine spat out its yield, a piece of paper, with the following message:  
  
"5:00 AM. Reactor 1."  
  
The paper was retrieved by a shadowy hand. Grunting in disproval at its contents, the entity tore the paper up with its bare hands, and discarded the remains into its pocket, making sure no other eyes would ever see the message.  
  
The figure quickly exited the building, frantic, but not uncareful. It would do his real boss no good if any ill became of him, and especially if he could not deliver his message.  
  
AVALANCHE had a spy in its midst...


End file.
